Family pictures in the snow!

Snow!!

All of the family. Steve is smiling and I am trying not to look like I had just been running back to my spot from setting the camera timer. Just as we were finishing these pictures, I remembered, AH! My mom and Dad gave me a camera remote for Christmas! Well, next time...

Ivy, inside, peeking out. Guess she got cold.

Vitali, always cold, plays anyway. Favorite snow activity?
Standing on piled up snow to be 'bigger' than anyone. (and I do mean anyone! Someone? PLEEEASE!)

The lovely Annette.

Misha, looking jovial.

Max, pausing in the midst of shoveling our quite long driveway. He worked tirelessly on that driveway. We really appreciated that later in the day! Steve and the other boys helped, but Max didn't stop till it was all done.

Hannah was mostly glad because the snow gave her a chance to wear the new
coat her friend Rachel gave her. I love the fur around the hood. So does she.

Now, let me back in the house so I can warm up!

Home in Ukraine

We have received word that Ira and the other kids have made it back to their orphanages in Ukraine! I'm sure that she is relieved to be home and sleeping in a bed after the long hours in airports and on trains.

We had a nice visit with her these last three weeks. She said very teary goodbyes with hugs and kisses for all of us, but I think she was looking more forward to going home again this time than she was at the end of her summer trip. The kids have mentioned several times in the last couple days that they miss her.

Getting bigger...

Our little guy is growing bigger and stronger! He kicks and wiggles and I really have noticed in the last week or so that he has gone from mostly squirming to more stretching, and poking, and kicking. Wearing that striped shirt at dinner that evening, the black stripes across my belly kept catching my eye. They were moving around like a wavy test pattern on an old fashioned, black and white tv! Haha!

5 weeks to go...

It's Christmas!!

The Living room, pre-invasion:

The kids, eager to invade:
Snow! Perfect for Christmas! East Tennessee doesn't see many white Christmases. Annette says she prayed for snow. So that's one Christmas present enjoyed before we even begin! First, before the gifts and the stockings, we listened to the Christmas story. Steve read to all of us and then Irina read the same story in Russian. Pretty cool:
Stockings!
Gifts!

Happy faces!
The aftermath:

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at our house is a light supper of crackers and cheese type finger foods, followed by cookies, a Christmas movie, a couple of gifts being opened and bedtime.

Here are the kids at dinner time. The "extra" girl is Irina. She was our guest over the summer for four weeks and now is back for a three-week visit. Notice pouting Vitali in the corner of the table. He had been scolded for something. Before the next photo, Steve said, "Vitali, you'd better not be pouting in the next picture!"
So here is his attempt to look cheerful. Hannah seems to have thought the instruction applied to her as well. Over-kill.
After dinner we opened some gifts, and had some cookies. Then...Movie time! One last cookie in hand, we headed to the family room. This year we didn't watch a Christmas movie, we watched one of the gifts, Prince Caspian.

And now..

Good night everyone! Excited kids ran off to bed. Dad and mom got ready for the next morning.
What?! I am always surprised, seems that when I was a kid, Christmas just arrived. When did it start requiring so much WORK!?! Just the same, Steve and I were in bed around eleven. That is thanks to my mom, who took all the kids each Wednesday in December so I could get things done. What an awesome gift to me. When you homeschool, it is hard to find kid-free time to shop and wrap. Let alone get any other pre-Christmas stuff done. Thanks, Mom!

Merry Almost Christmas, Everyone! See you in the morning!

The anual Christmas tree hunt.

This year's tree hunt almost didn't happen! So much going on that by the time Steve would get off of work, it would be closing time for the tree farm. Finally, though we had a day with an extra 40 minutes between working and closing time. Let's go! But we got lost. We do every year. Unbelievable. After all, we always go to the same place. We called and the guy said he'd stay a little late for us. They closed at 5 and we pulled up at 5ish. We looked high ; Misha looked especially high. Too high, it turned out.We looked low....Hannah loved the fluffy looking trees.

Ivy...not so much.Annette kept picking out "cute" trees. "Isn't this tree adorable?!!"
Yes, Annette, darling.
ahem...
Ivy, easily distracted had fun finding pine cones.
But at long last, the tree we could all agree on (it wasn't fluffy, but we wore Hannah down with our indecision. It was cold, and like any invincible eleven-year-old, she had under-dressed, putting fashion ahead of heat. Silly girl...)Cut it down, Vitali!
Steve told Vitali that he could drag the tree out. Vitali was happy to do so, but we thought the man who was waiting for us might appreciate it if we moved along. Vita made it a few feet, though.
Now, home to warm up! Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's

Preparing....

This is my only 'preparing' photo and it is of
Bethany just sitting around while we worked. ;-)

Waiting.....

Hoping....
Eating....

Playing....



Loving...

Mom's Birthday

My mom recently celebrated her 60th birthday. She surely looks great still, doesn't she? I'm hoping I have inherited the 'ageless' gene...
Before she blew out all 60 candles on her birthday cheesecake, Grandma cheated a bit by asking for help from all the kids gathered around.
Who says cheaters never prosper?
Happy Birthday, Mom!

By popular demand...

23weeks old and still no name!

What I did today:

I love the food that comes along with fall and winter, don't you?! Soups, Stews, casseroles, pies, anything pumpkin.... Yum! today I made a batch of caramel apples rolled in peanuts because it is one of Steve's favorite fall treats. By using small apples, I was able to make enough for each of the kids as well. Needless to say, they are looking forward to enjoying them tomorrow after lunch!

Here's our little cowboy...

He's a handsome little wrangler, ain't he?

For all the trouble he finds to get into, he does have a gallant side as well...