He's all boy

Tommy doesn't just grow out of shoes, he beats them to a pulp. They start out pretty and white an fully intact:



And before you know it they are shredded:


And this is just from regular use--running around at recess and that kind of thing. No mountain climbing. No knife fights. No lion taming. (At least I don't think so) I'm thinking his next pair of shoes should be steel toed boots?

A camera in the hands of children

I have an old camera that the kids use periodically. Today I needed to use it and found that the memory card was full. So, I downloaded their pictures to clear them out. Very creative use of a camera. This is a sampling of the very random things they've taken pictures of...

Katya taking pictures of herself standing over the air conditioner while it is on.




Yes, that is Tommy.


Apparently they decided to color their oatmeal one morning.


Their bathroom. Why? Who knows.


I don't think they could have gotten any closer.


A Webkinz. Rachel obviously had the camera at this point.


This qualifies as torturing the dog.


The St. Louis Arch on our drive back from Chicago.


A family photo of the Webkinz.



Someone's eggs?


Guess who had it again. There were waaaay too many to post.


Proof that they don't make their beds in the morning.


Further proof.


Yummm. Why we needed a picture of it though I'll never know.

Words, words, words

We were talking about getting Katya a new swimsuit recently--which believe me, is not an easy task--and Tommy jumped into the conversation and said, "You should get her a topping like me." I'm sorry, what?? A topping? Hot fudge? Caramel? Sprinkles? We're talking about swimsuits not ice cream, dude. So he grabs his shirt and says, "You know, a topping that keeps me from getting sunburn." That's called a rash guard little fella.

But the word fun was not over yet. He then said, "Are you going to get her a baby suit?" Might be a bit small, don't you think? Maybe a bathing suit would be better.

I think Tommy's code is one of those brain games that is supposed to challenge you and keep your brain healthy and alert...if it doesn't drive you insane first.

Mother's Day part 2

I've had this sitting on my desk to remind me to post it and it's finally time. Noah made a book of poems for Mother's Day. They're very cute. This one is my favorite:

My Mom

The important thing about my mom is that she can help me with my complicated math problems.
She's like a combination of a cook, teacher, chauffeur, and cleaning person.
She can create delicious, creative and interesting desserts and dinners.
She isn't the kind of person to get mad at you a lot.
She's someone who can crack some jokes that makes everyone laugh.
And she gets really good birthday and Christmas presents.
But the most important thing about my mom is that she can help me with my complicated math problems.


My favorite parts are that he thinks I make good dinners, don't get mad and I am good at helping with math--all things that if you asked I would say are my weakest areas!! It's funny to see things through the eyes of a child. Cuz a good dinner in his eyes is cheeseburgers and french fries!! Both from the frozen food section!!

What a great Mother's Day I had this year! And it's all in writing! I'll have to make sure I save these little gems to parade out for the kids' therapists when they are older. See? I was a good cook, shopper and math genius and I hardly ever got mad!!! Written proof!!

The human brain can only take so much

Yesterday I was shopping with Emily and Rachel, who I dubbed "Chatty Patty" for the day. It was like she was stuck on talk. She asked more questions and made more comments than I knew were possible by one 10 year old human being. And several questions were fixated on a couple of things that she "didn't get." (Which is one of her most favorite phrases to use.) One particular thing she "didn't get" centered on a cast we had made of Emily's hand when she was three that looks like the hand is coming out of the plaster instead of being an impression into the plaster. So I explained how we used a silly putty like substance and made an impression of Em's hand in that and then poured the plaster into a container with the silly putty hand at the bottom. And I explained it again. And again. And again. All, mind you, while we were walking through a store attempting to look for something. I would stop, explain it and then, thinking she must surely understand now, I would start moving through the store again only to have her repeat a minute or two later, "But I don't get it." After what felt like 100 explanations, she finally got it. I think. At least she said she did and therefore stopped asking questions about it--which was good enough for me!!

Now I've been saying for years that one of these days the kids' constant questions were going to cause me to burst a blood vessel in my head. Well, it has officially happened. After answering Rachel's 9000th question of the day while we were at Trader Joe's, she looked at me funny and said (in an ewww voice), "Mom, your eye is getting red." I became aware of a feeling of pressure in my eye and sure enough, I had burst a blood vessel in my eye. I hadn't been leaning over or exerting myself in anyway, so the only explanation is that my brain was on overload and finally blew a vessel!! And they thought I was exaggerating.

I'd post a picture but it's too icky to look at. The reason I know this is that my kids constantly tell me how gross it is. Maybe it could be my new form of punishment: they have to stare at my eye for five minutes for every question they ask.

Once upon a time...

Tommy's teacher made a "book" for the end of the year with the whole class. They each illustrated a page. It was all about things their class did throughout the year, you know, "the children read books," "the children wrote stories," "the children went on field trips," yada, yada, yada. But Tommy's page was special. His teacher was reading it to all of the kids and parents at a recent class gathering and she stopped and looked up at us just before she read his page.

He drew himself hitting his friend Antonio, which is funny because that is something he has never done. But, alas, it is true that he qualifies in the "some children" part. As a matter of fact I think he might have been the leader of the someones.

His buddy Antonio drew did the next page...

This was about going to the "Responsibility Center." It's a place to go and review the choices you are making and decide on a plan for making a better choice next time. As you can see, Tommy figures prominently in this picture as well.

The good news is that Tommy's teacher loves him regardless. She says she is going to miss him and she is confident he is going to be a millionaire in the future. I think that is because of the combination of charm and risk taking that is so evident in him each day. But then again, she just announced her retirement and we can't be sure that all that charm and risk taking weren't a factor in that decision!

How cool is this?

One of the changes we recently made is that we moved Katya to a new school. For lots of reasons, we had decided to have her go to Surrey Garden Christian School starting in 7th grade. We had the principal test her to see what level she was at and after doing so, he offered us the opportunity to start her right after spring break so that she could get acclimated to the school and hopefully bring up her skill levels so that she would be prepared for 7th grade in the Fall. We went ahead and made the switch even though Katya was less than excited about leaving the school she knew and entering uncharted waters. The upside was that she already knew several kids who go to school there, including our neighbors next door.

We have been blessed by the changes in Katya ever since she started at Surrey. I can't tell you exactly what has made the change--maybe it was just because it was a change of scenery where she could "reinvent" herself, but she has become more confident and outgoing, she is way more thoughtful and diligent, and she is developing more confidence in her academic abilities. We are calling her Katya 2.0! :-) It's been fun to watch her blossom.

All of this culminated in Katya winning a Mother's Day essay contest at school last week!! Now you have to understand that Katya "hates" writing and would rather do just about anything else in the whole world. She wrapped up her essay and the gift certificate for Dream Dinners that she won and gave it to me as a Mother's Day gift. I was floored. I was so excited for her and I kept gushing about it all day long and bragging to anyone who would listen. It was so precious to see her sit a little taller whenever we praised her efforts!

So, for your reading pleasure... Katya's essay.

When I think of an important person I think of my mother. I think of my mom because she has always been there ever since I was born. Well, not since I was born because I was adopted.

But that's why she's special. She cares about other people. She cares about me because she and dad took my brother and I from a hated place where no one loves anyone, and it's called an orphanage.

My mom and dad took Tommy and I and gave us a caring and loving home.

My mom makes me feel special all the time. My mom is a special mom every day.

Our favorite part is "because she has always been there since I was born. Well, not since I was born because I was adopted." Too funny.

I was so blessed by her kind words about me, but most especially by the work she put into writing something and the fact that God was gracious and her efforts were rewarded. God has been so kind in letting Katya feel success in her new school and to give her a new-found confidence in the abilities he has given her. We had been watching her slowly wither away and so we are so thankful to God for all He is doing in her!