Last Post

I know it's been a while but just in case there's anyone out there that is still following this blog, here's what we've been up to lately.
Roman has become an amazing swimmer, he is definitely future swim team material. We are working on strokes right now. Jadon loves swimming too and is able to swim out a few feet on his own now.
We have been trying to stay busy as usual with play dates and swimming, it has been unbearably hot lately so we're spending more time indoors.
Last night Chris pulled out Roman's incredibly loose tooth, gross. I have no stomach for loose teeth, I can't even look at the tooth without gagging but Roman was very proud. The tooth fairy left him $5 bucks!! He's ready to spend it already!;)
Tomorrow we are going to Disney with the boys for the first time for Chris and Jadon's birthday. The boys are so excited and we are too. I can't wait to see their faces when they see Magic Kingdom, Mickey and friends.
So, that's about it. The boys are doing great, it's like they've always been here. We are so blessed to have them.
And so, this is my last post. I am a terrible blogger, especially since I can't figure out how to get pictures off of our camera and on to our computer. I hate posting without pics.:( Anyway, if you have questions or want to stay in touch, please email me anytime. I don't have a Facebook page and I won't in the future but Chris does and he posts regularly so you can see pics of the boys on his page all the time. Thank you for following our story and for supporting us in so many ways.

Bed Head!

Now this is some serious bed head!! His hair was not altered in any way, he woke up like this!:)) Okay, so anyone else have kids with crazy bed head in the morning? Probably not this bad anyway.;) So, we got the poor guy's hair cut. It's a little too short in my opinion, he looks much older now.:(

Finally!

Yes, finally I posted again but that's not what I'm referring to. Tonight for the first time Jadon said " I love you Mommy". I think I'm going to cry! He has never said I love you on his own. He has said it with me and Chris in a sing-songy kind of thing we do with the kids but that's it. Wow, I am on cloud 9 right now. Hearing those words tonight just about made me forget that he wined all day long.:))
In other news, Roman got a big boy bed today. We got bunk beds for the boys but I'm not ready to take Jadon out of his crib yet. It contains him for now.;) Roman is so proud and happy and they both played on the top bunk about all day today. I'll post pictures soon.

Easter Fun

The boys had a great time looking for Easter eggs at Granny's house. They got tons of Easter candy and toys which was a real treat for them since they are usually deprived of candy.;) We had church outside at the Abacoa amphitheater and it was so nice to be able to have Chris' parents with us. What a treat to have church outside on a beautiful spring day too! I asked Roman what Easter was about and he said "Jesus is alive!", so cool! I asked him if Easter was his favorite (holiday) and he said no, trick-or-treat was but I think that's because he gets more candy then than on any other holiday. Yes, my son is a junkie!;) I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well.


Before the hunt!

Running out of the house for the Easter egg hunt.










All done.


Just for fun, here's a pic of the boys from last Easter. My how they've changed!

Just me and the boys

Chris is in Costa Rica for a week so it's just me and the boys. I've been trying to keep them very busy as it makes for a much better day.;) Today we had a play date with some friends and they had a great time. We are now enjoying some beautiful SoFlo weather outside. Jadon is doing awesome with the potty training. He had 2 pee-pee accidents yesterday and only 1 today so far but for the past 5 days he's been pooping in the potty! I am so proud of my little man and he's proud too.;) Roman is being a great big brother and is very excited when Jadon goes on the potty, maybe it's just in hopes of him receiving a treat as well.:))
So, the week has started off quite nicely but we all miss Daddy!:(

He did it!

We're going cold turkey people! No more diapers during the day and I've decided to forego the pull-ups. Jadon is wearing underwear all day now! I went to Wal-Mart and bought a bunch of training pants and he went through 4 of them yesterday, not bad for the first day. Actually he had a great day because for the first time he pooped in the potty!! 2 hours later he pooped in his underwear but at least we are progressing a little!;) Today he kept his underwear dry all day and he pooped on the potty again! I do have to take him to the toilet every 15-30 minutes but I am very encouraged and I think it won't be too long before he's completely potty trained!

Potty Training Update

I really appreciate all of your comments on my last post about potty training Jadon. I know it's just something that'll happen on it's own. I just wanted to make sure I was doing all I could to encourage him and help him. The past 3 days, he has had a dry diaper all day. I am so encouraged! I have to take him to the potty several times a day because he rarely tells me he needs to go and he still poops in his diaper so he's wearing diapers until he's ready to go in the potty. I have been considering pull-ups lately because I think they would be easy for him to pull up and down when he needs to go. I'm on the fence though because I don't want him to think he's wearing underwear and it's okay to poop in them. What are your thoughts on pull-ups? Do you think they help or hinder the potty training process?

My Birthday

My hubby took me to Disney yesterday for my birthday. We went to Epcot and spent the whole day eating at all of the different "countries". We traveled to Japan for lunch, then went to France for some amazing desserts. While in France we went into the Guerlain store and I had a free consultation with a woman who can tell which fragrance is best for you according to your skin type. Well, I discovered that the best fragrance for me cost $250!! Bummer, it smelled really good. We strolled through all of the stores, stopped in Germany for a delicious soft pretzel and rounded off the day with dinner in Italy. Quite the jet setters we were!;)
On the way there we saw otters frolicking on the side of the road, swallow-tail kites, bald eagles and a rainbow! It was a wonderful day and I forgot it was my birthday which was nice.;)

Potty Training Woes

*Warning: The following post includes potty talk


I'm at a loss here people. I need some advice. Jadon is clearly showing signs that he is ready to start potty training but is just not following through with it. He knows the difference between wet and dry and will go pee-pee if I put him on the potty. He wakes up often in the morning with a dry diaper and can hold it for hours during the day. I have been giving praises and skittles as positive reinforcement every time he has a dry diaper, focusing on that instead of peeing in the potty. Yesterday he told me he wanted to go pee-pee on the potty for the first time and he did! I was so excited! I decided to try underwear which he kept dry for a couple hours by me taking him to the potty every 15 minutes. He went outside to play and peed in his underwear. I told him gently that he needs to keep his underwear dry and we went inside to pee on the potty. I could tell he needed to poop so I had him sit on the potty longer, encouraging him to go. He refused, as usual, went back outside and pooped in his underwear. So, I'm getting frustrated and I don't want this to be a negative thing for him. He could care less when he is wet or if he poops in his pants, he'll happily sit in it for hours. So this makes me think he's not ready despite the other signs of readiness. I know every parent struggles in this area but any advice would be welcome.

365 days or so ago today....

....we landed on American soil with our sons! They became US citizens the moment we touched down in GA but walking through the gates with them at the Miami airport was one of the best feelings in the world. We had about 30 friends and family waiting for us with signs and cheers, it was amazing! We were elated to be home. I can hardly believe it was a year ago! We are so happy to be a forever family.

Amazing Race in Kras

Okay, so I just finished watching the Amazing Race. They traveled from Romania to Moscow on different airlines but when it came to traveling to Kras, they all ended up on the one flight that flies into the city daily, arriving at dark and early. Been there, done that!;) But, if I wasn't told they were in Kras, I really wouldn't have known it. When we were there, it was Feb/Mar and very cold and snowy so we did not travel or explore much at all. I had no idea they had a bobsled track there! I wish we could have ridden it! It seemed to be a little cold there but very little snow on the ground, definitely not the perma-frost we experienced.;) So, they stacked wood by the river, which we crossed almost every day and they showed the dam but we never saw it up close. They also made those cute traditional shutters for the houses so they were familiar. Really the only things I recognized were the airport and some of the downtown area as they drove in the taxis. I thought they would do more stuff downtown but it does continue in Siberia next week so maybe we'll see some more of Kras, although I think they are traveling to another city nearby. The best part was hearing how the contestants pronounced Krasnoyarsk!;)
What did you think?

Amazing Race

Even if you're not a fan of the show, please watch this Sunday night as the contestants go to Siberia. They will be in Kras and hopefully we'll all get a glimpse of the city. It'll be extra cool for all of us that have actually been there!

Gotcha' Day Anniversary!

I can't believe it! It has been one year since we picked up Roman and Jadon from the orphanage and finally became a family. I cannot put into words how blessed we are to have them in our lives. It almost feels like they've always been here but I can also remember being in Kras like it was yesterday.
Thank You Lord for our precious sons!


Here we are the night we left the orphanage with the boys. The woman in the picture is Galina, the orphanage director, to whom we will be forever grateful for how well she took care of our little boys, and countless others.

Sleepy Head

Yes, my son did fall asleep on the swing. Roman has also done this before, it must be a really relaxing swing.;)

Happy Birthday Roman!

4 years old

5 years old

I can't believe our little guy is 5 years old today! Saturday we had a party with his friends, what a difference from his 4th birthday which we celebrated while in Russia. One year ago today, we were celebrating with tea and chocolate bars. Saturday was cake and pizza, balloons, presents, friends and family. We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy as our son. Happy Birthday Roman!