tracey said I need to post more pictures. here ya go

ben in hot pink casts and maia hugging him


this is natasha diana and vasiliy last fall.

Ever heard of Zenni Optical?

Eric got a wild hair and decided to buy his glasses online. he heard its cheaper. and it was. except we paid for glasses 2 weeks ago and there is no sign of them yet. his old ones are broken. we leave the country in one week. Eric called and they said oh yeah it could be 3 and half weeks. that is NOT WHAT THEY SAID ON THE WEBSITE! They said call back on friday. So I called several times on Friday. The recording would answer the phone, never an available representative. So I left a message as they suggested. they didnt return phone calls. The quoted time for delivery is nearly come and gone and the glasses are still "in manufacture." If you want to order glasses, and you have 3 weeks or a month to wait then go ahead. but if you need them now? I wouldnt recommend Zenni Optical. as for the quality of the glasses I cant even attest to that since we havent acutally RECEIVED the glasses. Since we have at this time 5 people in our family in glasses, they are losing a lot of potential business. We sure wont be buying from Zenni Optical again. and if the glasses dont come soon then I will have a new battle on my hands, trying to get our money back. I guess if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

I am very tired of taking someone to do something fun and then being made to pay for it all night.

I made this great play room for the kids downstairs. its nicer than any room of the house. except they wont play there. I should just be happy it stays clean I guess.

Sophie's scary trip to the beach

took the kids to the beach this afternoon. sorry no pictures. forgot the camera as I was having a bad day. didnt think sophie would go into the water and didnt bring her life jacket. wont make THAT mistake again. She went too far in which wasnt very far at all for a walking person and the sand slipped out from under her and it was just deep enough that she couldnt get herself righted and was flopping around drowning! I saw and jumped up but the family who was at the beach with their boys was just a step closer and he was already standing and he got to her first. I am so thankful he didnt hesitate to grab her out of the water and by the time he had her out of the water I was there to grab her and she was sputtering and crying. she later said I no like you water! but gosh those few seconds it took me to get up even though I was close by could have been too many. thank god for that dad who grabbed her and didnt hesitate. and from now on even if its just a little water, on with the life jacket for her! I just bought her one too. but I didnt think she wuold be swimming just playing in the sand. I hadnt accounted for her way of getting around and the sand slipping out from under her. She is fine, although miffed at the water. But the message was not lost on me. she needs to wear the lifejacket. now she is scared of the water. hopefully she can gather her courage and get back in,although not so deep. it was so close though. brought tears to my eyes to think of losing her. I grabbed her soaking wet and hugged her to me and didnt realize until later that now I was soaking wet. It just didnt matter that my shorts and shirt were wet. I wrapped my baby in a towel and held her. thats what was important. she went on to have a fun afternoon playing in the sand and working very hard on lifting a shovel full of sand into a bucket. she usually cant reach that high. good therapy for her. she stayed close to mom though and that was just fine with me.

adults who dont grow up

There is a person in life who is a spoiled brat.
everytime I make plans he has a tantrum because he wants his way.
and I am supposed to change everything so he can have his way.
for this reason I avoid dealing with this person as much as possible.
so as soon as he found out we were going to SunnyK he wants the kids.
the kids werent going with us but I made plans for them and they were looking
forward to them. and they have to take care of their dog. so he gets all pissy and crabby with me because I say they have to take the dog. Look buster what am I supposed to do? leave him home alone for a couple weeks?? jerk. so my mom said she would keep the dog. and he has to pick them up HERE at the house and return them to my mom in another city. which of course he is going to bitch about all the way there and back but I am not going to BE here thats why I was sending them to my moms. JERK. I am mad that I am always supposed to drop everything. I know I shouldnt do it. but to be honest its easier sometimes than dealing with his ranting and raving and he is downright abusive if I dont play his way. and I am getting darn sick and tired of it. He doesnt take the kids that often. they dont fit into his busy schedule apparently. but when he does I make a plan and he changes it. every. single. time. He says sunday at 1 to return them. So I make plans around that. and then he changes his mind and wants to return them at 10. or 11. or 4. or another day. When I come home I will not play this game any more. thats my new years resolution. I guess its a bit late for new years. but its time. I am done. I will demand a time he will return them and then not answer his calls and see him at that time. The problem with that is that Maia loves to answer the phone. will find a way to get around that though. I will not let this ass take advantage of me any more. he has been for 20 years. and I am done. call me stupid that it took me this long to learn but I just cant do it anymore.

we have a date! June 10 is our appointment with the people in SunnyK. Exciting!!!

if 500 people donated just ten dollars we would have the rest of what we need to bring home the girls.

I am sad

based on the fact that we do not yet have a date to travel I am going to miss my favorite camping weekend of the entire year. I wait ALLYEAR for july4th camp weekend with friends. We missed them last year for labor day. We will miss them this year for memorial day because Eric has to work. that just stinks. I will sacrifice for my girlsin a heartbeat I will.but I dont have to be thrilled about it. and because of Bens casts we havent even been able to get to camp yet this year. kind of cruel to take him to a pool he cant swim in!

just another day in paradise

I took the kids to Brainerd today. the three muskateers anyways, the others were at school. We dropped off Ethans broken(again) glasses to be fixed. they have to order new frames. they dont carry those in stock I guess. then I took the kids to lunch. Apparently the attendant there at the soda / katchup counter has never seen children as beautiful as mine because she kept looking at them, at us, never saying a word just looking when she thought we werent and sneaking looks. Probly not every day you see the cutest little boy with not one but TWO HOT PINK CASTS on his feet. and really how often could she have seen girls as lovely as my two blondes? we happily ate our lunch right where she could see. She never did speak to us, offer assistance of any kind as I try to gather one kid in casts who doesnt walk so well, one in a stroller that doesnt drive so good and one who is bopping along in her own world while I try to carry a tray with food on it. shrug. we get by. if I could just get people to open or hold doors THAT would be helpful. the ones that DO hold door, I am thankful for. but it might be nice if some people got a kindness clue. I always hold the door when I can for other people. People with strollers, walkers, cheelchairs, perfect walking feet, elderly, young, anyone, anywhere. it is just kind. but many people dont get that.

anyways we went to dollar store and stocked up on about 77 dollars worth of shampoo, toothpaste, household cleaner, some stuff for the trip to get the girls, some stuff for the girls, chalk for the kids to play since the sun is finally shining. I went next door to the grocery and got soap and dog food and thus avoided a trip to target entirely.

stopped on the way home for a bathroom and gas fill. and guss what happened? AGAIN? because I stopped to pee, I missed an accident further down the road. when I am growling about my teeny tiny bladder remind me how many times it has saved me! got home to a houseful of barking dogs and a letter saying a bill I already paid was going to collections. didnt get a chance to call them though. better call tomorrow.

Still no word on when we will travel. I am anxiously awaiting. maybe tomorrow.

yet another fundraising attempt

http://147millionorphans.com/147-gear

if you want to buy one of the tshirts at the site above, email me at katieostar@yahoo.com
I have to get at least 20 shirts ordered before I make anything. Help us save our girls from a horrible future and get yourself a cool shirt too!

maia cracks me up

maia, daddy is having a lie in

HE IS NOT HAVING A LION!

preschool graduation

My baby is graduating preschool tonight. Off to Kindergarten next year! (Ben is going to K next year too. Sophie will spend one more year at least in preschool.) I remember the day Maia was born. Eric and I walked the halls at Mercy North Iowa Medical Center where he was a resident. We walked and walked. I wonder how many miles we put on that day trying to shake that baby out? We knew it was a girl. We knew she was Maia Catherine. Via ultrasound We watched her grow from a grain of rice to a kidney bean to starting to look like a real baby! Having lost a pregnancy before Maia we relished every kick, flutter and hiccup. My hair grew longer and lusher than it ever had. I dont think it was hormones though, I think it was love. Everything grows better with love. I was in love with my husband, my growing baby, a result of our love. I am still so in love with this baby. I pinch her cheeks and kiss her hands and wonder at how she has grown from a tiny sick premature baby to this bouncing 6 year old full of wonder and energy. Children are just a wonder. an incredible wonder. Every day I look at her and say WOW! who IS this child? she isnt that tiny baby. She changes every day. I used to ask her where my baby went. She would say baby all gone. and now, today, truly, baby all gone. off to kindergarten next year!

Touched by adoption bracelts

1 for 3 dollars or 2 for 5 dollars. if you want to paypal please add 50 cents to cover the paypal costs. you can email me at katieostar@yahoo.com if you want to send a check.

Jelly Bracelets!

1 for 3 dollars or 2 for 5! I have pink, green, and blue. Buy a bracelet and help us save three lives! Possibly 4! as you can imagine this is a huge undertaking as many people cant afford ONE international adoption. We have nothing left in savings. every penny is ear marked for this adoption. PLEASE help us raise the remaining funds we will need to get these girls home. Their future if left where they are includes horrors like prostitution drugs abuse or being sent to institution! Can you Look at those beautiful faces and tell me you cant help us save them from a future like that???