View from our back porch tonight

In case you can't see it there is a deer in the middle of the picture looking straight at the camera. Chris put some deer corn over the fence at the back of the property early today. We get deer back there anyway but this was only at 6 pm and we saw three of them. Also, all of the back yard work - rock dumping & smoothing out is finished. Well I guess not all. We still need some good dirt back there but at least we've got a much more level yard now.

Hello George Washington

Chris did this to Zachary last night and told him to come tell me that he was George Washington. It's pretty silly but it still made me laugh.

10 little boxes

That's all that's left to unpack. Somehow, though, I can't seem to make myself get it done. One box is stuff that's going back to work with Chris and three are things to hang on the walls. The rest? Stuff that I don't know where to put so I don't want to deal with. This is not so fun anymore.

Another trip to the emergency room

This time it was for Chris. He's had a bad back for a little over a year. It took a long to to figure out he's got a herniated disk. He's tried injections and physical therapy but it looks like surgery may be the only way to fix it and he's not been ready for that yet. So he lives with some pain on most days and more on others. This time it really started hurting on Wednesday. I think it was from doing so much yard work. By the time he came home from work on Thursday he was walking hunched over like an old man. Yesterday he couldn't go to work and spent most of the day laying down. It got worse again yesterday evening. He had a hard time sleeping last night. So, this morning he asked if I would take him to the emergency room. I helped him get dressed, packed up snacks and toys for the boys, and had to look up directions to the hospital. That sounds so goofy but since we've only lived here a month we haven't found the hospital yet. Luckily the waiting room was empty when we got there so Chris got to go right in. We were there about an hour. He got a shot of Demerol so they had to wheel him to the car (he was dizzy). We got three major drug prescriptions. I don't know how his back feels but right now he should be dizzy, drowsy, and have blurred vision (if he weren't asleep). We're supposed to be going to an out of town birthday party this afternoon but I think we may have to skip. Chris said we should go without him but I'm not sure I can leave him in this condition.

Happy Birthday Luke! We'll see you Wednesday!

Boys and trucks

It seems as though at some point all boys just loves cars & trucks. Zachary is definitely a car lover. He's got tons of little cars and trucks that he carts from room to room in baskets, backpacks, or the trunk of bigger cars. He was really excited yesterday (actually we all were) to see this in our backyard.The bulldozer was finally here to smooth out the loads and loads of rocks and dirt that have been dumped here the last week or so. We all sat and looked out the window for awhile watching it pack down and roll over the rocks. Zachary got out some little dump trucks and drove them around for awhile. They were here for an hour or so yesterday and are back again today. The novelty has worn off some but we still all check out the progress from time to time. I'll just be happy to have it done so we can get on to the next thing.........more dirt.

Thank you, thank you very much

My sister over at So....what do you do all day? apparently thinks I'm fabulous. She's given my my first blog award. Thanks!
To receive this award I also have to list five addictions. So here goes:

1) My family
2) Reading blogs/blogging
3) Coca-Cola
4) Collecting/looking for new recipes (even if I never end up making them)
5) T.V. (It's always on even if I'm not watching. It's more for background noise although Alex & Zachary make enough already.)

I don't really have anyone to pass this award on to so the buck stops here!

School days

Today was Alex's first day at the new school. Next time I need to wake up earlier. We were running so far behind that we were lucky to make it in the nick of time. I also didn't get any pictures. Although the boys didn't get a hot breakfast they had Cheerios and grapes in a baggy in the car along with a sippy cup of milk. That still counts as an O.K. breakfast even if they had to eat it in the car, right? Zachary was not happy to leave Alex at school. Poor thing wants to stay so bad. He cried all the way back to the car and for the next five minutes driving down the road. Sometimes it's hard to be little. I think Alex had a good time. He didn't really say much about school other than they said their ABC's. He did have some papers in his back pack so I can tell they did a little coloring and working on the "ps" sound. So our homework for the week is to work on words with that sound every day, like caps or chips. I think this will be hard but we'll try.
Zachary and I did get a few more errands out of the way while waiting for Alex. We returned the exterior garage light that didn't fit and got new ones ordered. This time we measured before selecting them so they should work. We also got another cable for the surround sound speakers that are going to be installed in the living room today. I will be so happy to not have wires hanging from the ceiling anymore. Hooray!

Long weekend

Chris is lucky enough to have a four day work week. This means that when a holiday falls on a Monday when he is already off, he gets off the Friday before. So we had a really long four day weekend! It was mostly spent doing house stuff and we did get quite a bit done. We tried to get a new exterior garage light fixture (the ones we originally ordered didn't fit) and the new one didn't fit either. We did some furniture shopping and bought an armoire for our bedroom and found a couch we really liked (but didn't get). I made alot of headway in unpacking boxes in our office, which is by far the least unpacked room in the house. We also made it out in the yard yesterday for more clearing. Chris finally got to try out his new chainsaw and had a good time cutting up some fallen branches and things for firewood. Zachary really enjoyed watching all the action while Alex napped through most of it.

One of the problems that we're having now is finding blinds. We have several windows that are arched on the top that won't take a regular blind. Shutters are about the only option from what we've seen in stores. It looks like we may have to have a professional come out to take a look.

Eeeek!

We have mice in the garage. There is mouse poop everywhere out there. Chris and I have both seen them. We finally put out traps and got two last night. I just don't want them inside. Yuck!

We rock! *Revised*

Do you wanna rock? No, really - do you want some rocks? Just down our street there is some sort of digging going on. We don't even know what it is. Chris thinks they're going to build a house there but I think they are digging some sort of drainage. Whatever the reason Chris stopped a few days ago and asked what they were doing with all the dirt. They don't need it and agreed to dump in it our back yard for free. When they are done they are even going to level it out for us. Our back yard is bad. We've got a really big slope back there. We need all the fill we can get, especially for free. Tuesday the workers came and dumped three loads. Yesterday they started dumping at 8 am and didn't stop until around 5 pm. I don't know how many loads we got - maybe 10? This morning we've already received one more. This is what it looks like. As the dumping has progressed it has become more rock and less dirt. Now I know how rocky our ground is here. I've been digging rocks out of the front yard for the last couple of weeks but nothing this big yet. I also know that these rocks will still be covered with a layer of good dirt sometime in the future so we can actually play back there or grow grass but it's crazy to see. Some of these rocks are huge! Some of them are also pretty cool looking. I wouldn't mind moving one or two big ones to the front yard but I don't know how. So, if anybody else wants a rock for some reason - come and get it. You just might need some heavy machinery though!

**Revised**

Because I thought you needed more rock pictures I took some of the boys out there so you can see the size.

Sleep walking?

Since we've moved into this new house and no longer have stairs to worry about Chris told Alex that when he wakes up in the morning or from naps he can just come out of his room and find us. This has worked out pretty well since we have the only monitor in Zachary's room. The first few days if I heard him and opened his door he would tell me to close the door so he could come find me. Very funny. This morning as Chris was leaving for work around 7 am he noticed Alex's door was open and he wasn't in bed. He looked around the house and found Alex asleep on the couch in the living room. Chris just picked him up and put him back in bed. This is the first time he's ever gotten out of bed during the night. I wonder why he didn't come to our room? To my surprise both boys are still sleeping at 7:55 am.

Back to School

I finally met with Alex's new school here. It's not the one closest to us like I though. Silly me. They didn't have a program for 3 year olds so we're going to one a little bit farther away. It won't be too bad though. This school was already sent all of his paperwork and evaluations from his former school but wanted to meet him in person. It was decided that he's going to be in a speech only class instead of a regular PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) since he's really not far behind in anything else, if at all. This class will only be one day a week for two hours. The teacher will send home a weekly report with a certain thing to work on at home in between classes. Sounds good. Looks like that will become my errand day so I don't have to drive home and back so quickly. The school looked nice and I think Alex will like it. We will go back Friday for our formal meeting and then he will start school on Tuesday.

I've been tagged!

My sister, Joanne, tagged me on her blog. The instructions were:

1. Go to your photo folders and open the 4th folder.
2. Choose the 4th photo.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 other people!

So already I've got a problem. My fourth folder only has three pictures! So here is the 3rd photo. Boy are they gonna kill me! This is my husband, two oldest nephews, and oldest niece in the hot tub at my parents house in January 2006. Just to cover my bases I'm also posting the first picture in my fifth folder and would kinda be the fourth picture. O.K., not really. This one is me and Chris from Easter 2006. Chris has his braces here and so he doesn't like the picture but I'm nice and thin so I do!

I'm going to tag Kelli to get her blogging again and Teresa. I don't have many blogging friends yet (that aren't already tagged by my sister) so two will have to do. Wow, I sure didn't follow the rules very well did I?

The Results are In!

Lisa finished the marathon in 6 hours, 33 minutes, and 46 seconds! She needed to finish in under 7 hours to receive a Mickey medal and she did it. She also beat all of her friends.

Way to go!

Welcome Father Frost

This afternoon we went to a Father Frost party with the FRUA (Families for Russian & Ukrainian Adoptions) group that we belong to. Father Frost is the Russian version of Santa and he visits on January 1st. We got to spend the afternoon with other families made up of children from all over Europe. There was Russian food and music and then......Father Frost and the Snow Maiden (his helper) made an appearance!

To me Father Frost looked an awful lot like Santa although he did have a Russian accent. I thought he normally wore a blue coat but when I looked him up I found pictures of both red and blue. It didn't make a difference to Zachary though. He didn't care for Santa or Father Frost! Alex went right up and got his candy but the Snow Maiden had to bring it to Zach. Afterwards the "Christmas" tree was moved to the middle of the room and the kids held hands and danced around it. This was our first Father Frost party and we all had a good time. Plus we got to see our friends Kelly & Luke that we've moved away from and miss terribly.

Go, Lisa, go!

I have two sisters. When one of them told us last year that she signed up to run a marathon we all thought she had lost her mind. I mean, we don't run - at all. She has proved us all wrong by training all year, running in several 5K's and two half marathons. Tomorrow is the big day - the Walt Disney World Marathon. She and some friends signed up together and flew over there on Wednesday - without husbands or children. I would say it sounds like a fun and relaxing girls trip except for one thing - the 26 miles they will be running tomorrow. So while I know that I will never run a marathon myself I am very proud and very excited for my sister to do it. I'll be watching her progress online and cheering her on from the comfort of my own home.

Yea, Lisa!!!

A walk around the yard

If you walk around our yard there are all sorts of neat things to see. There are so many big rocks and cool trees.I don't think we'll be able to clear the back yard of rocks at all. We'll just have to cover it up with truck loads of dirt. On one side of our house especially are some large rocks. This land was untouched for so long that the trees just learned to grow around them. I guess this rock will be staying too.

We even have a little patch of red soil on one side.

The boys and I walked around the whole property. We have to hold hands walking around the back since it is so rocky and hilly. They thought it was fun to "sit" on this big rock.

Chris came home a little early yesterday so we all got outside and did some work. Well, I did yard work while Chris "cleaned" the garage and then played in the sand pile with the boys. I'm not as sore as I was the first day with the exception of my hands. My fingers feel like they're swollen and are very stiff. We had some rain again this morning so I don't think I'll be able to do much outside today. I guess I could work on the inside of the house.

Family days

I'm a little late on this post but my sister and her family in Iowa came down after Christmas to be with our whole family. They wanted to see our house so they came here on New Years' Eve. We went to lunch at a yummy German restaurant we're found (we went there once already when Chris's family was here). There is nothing better than a big German beer - at least for Chris and Kevin. On New Years' Day the rest of my family came over. Once again we tried to take pictures of the kids all together but this time added the two oldest boys so all seven grandkids (on my side) were together. It was too many kids to have everyone happy but the gang's all here!

Bathing beauties

I know I just posted pictures of Zachary in the shower but these were too cute. We finally broke in the garden tub by giving the boys a major bubble bath. They loved it! We don't usually do bubbles or this much water so they did end up making a wet mess in my bathroom but had so much fun. We piled the bubbles up on their heads and chins and they pretended to be Santa Clause.

One more thing

Wow! It's been 6 years since I last moved and I forgot about all the people you have to change your address with. I just remembered to notify my magazines and did them online tonight. Not only did I have to set up new utilities here but I also had to call my old utilities to give them a new address since I can't turn them off (gotta have heat and such while it's on the market). I finally did a change of address for our driver's licenses tonight as well. Plus, we have to notify the Russian Consulate any time we have a change of address since the boys are still Russian citizens. I really think I'm just about done now. At least I hope so.

********

We never did get back out to work in the yard. The weather turned cold yesterday so we couldn't do it. I'm still a little sore (I'm a wimp, I know) so it's probably for the best.

Manual labor

I'm so tired. My body aches. Today we decided to do some yard work. If anybody has seen our yard or remembers the pictures of our land then you know that this is no small undertaking. The boys came out with us in the morning and helped pick up rocks for awhile before heading to the cars and other toys in the garage. My first task was to put together our new wheelbarrow. Then I started yard work while Chris unpacked and cleaned the garage. Our lot is so wooded that we had lots of dead wood to pick up plus clear out all of the underbrush, scrubby trees, tall grass, etc. Sometimes we had to snip things out, saw them off, or dig them out with shovels. Plus rake up lots of leaves and twigs. We got almost half of the front yard done. That's all. Maybe by the end of the weekend you'll actually be able to see our house from the road. Our next task will be to add a little fill dirt and plants some rye grass before it's too late. I think the dog is tired of having no grass to potty on. For a little comparison here are some pictures.

This is the untouched side of the yard.

This is the side we finished today.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

and Zachary like to be clean. Well, he likes to take showers anyway. Daddy introduced the boys to showers awhile back but it's even more fun in our new big shower. Usually daddy takes one or both boys in with him at once but today he only took Alex so the two of them could run out to Lowes. So I decided to let Zachary get in with me. (He's still little and the only thing he notices is that mommy has a hinny). He loves to just stand under the water and let it hit his back. I made him look up for this picture.

He also leaned over on the shower seat and was so funny. I think he looks like he's letting the water hit his achy back like an old(er) man.

Chris did fess up the other day and said that he's shown the boys how to pee in the shower. (I hope he doesn't kill me for posting that!) He said that he's never actually seen them do it - only pretend. Well, I can now say that Zachary does in fact know how. When I finished my shower I left him in there while I got dressed. I think Zachary would still be in the shower if I let him.