September Here and Gone! Part 1

I cannot believe so many weeks have gone by since my last post. August went and September sprang upon us with a full calendar! We started school on Wednesday the 6th. Slava still makes things interesting and each of the kids takes a little time during the morning to play with him. Now he sits up at the school table and asks to do "schoom" which is a blend of the 2 words school and room. He actually does sit for quite some time as long as I engage him with some activities. We are presently focusing on recognizing numbers 1-10. He can count, but he doesn't really know which number is which. We also do a lot of hands on educational activities with him. Thankfully, Kerri has resumed coming 2 mornings a week to work and play with him.

We also started our Wednesday night church programs last week. I'm teaching Missionettes and have 13 lovely girls (grades 5-7) in my class. The only way I'm able to teach this year is because Wayne switched his Royal Rangers class. He used to team-teach the teenage boys class, but now he's partnered with the teacher in the little guys class. The reason for the switch is so we could put Slava in Royal Rangers too. He's old enough to join, but not quite ready to fly solo...I wouldn't wish that on any teacher! He did really well his first class. The only hitch is getting him to sleep at night since he's up much later than normal and overtired. And believe me, he does NOT sleep in to make up for it the next morning!

Royal Ranger Slava

September means apple picking! Wayne insists on going every year (I think he has more fun then the kids)! It was Slava's first time and he had a blast.

Slava & Jordan

I wanted Slava to pick a pumpkin. It was the first time he'd ever seen one. We had the kids sit on some for the pictures. Then Anna, Jordan & Slava picked out their own. When we got home Wayne put them on the steps outside. Slava walked into the kitchen and asked, "Where's my seat?" I guess he thought pumpkins are for sitting on!

Sierra, Slava, & Anna

Youth Group resumed at church also. They kicked it off with a youth retreat to Mt. Snow, Vt. Eric & Ginny Hanson (visiting from Cambodia) did teachings on the Holy Spirit throughout the weekend. Sierra, Andrii, & Kerri (youth leader) are among the kids in this pic. Wayne Jr.(youth leader) & Curtis rode up with some others after work that Friday evening.
This was only the first half of September. I posted the rest in a Part 2 post, so please be sure to scroll down and read that one too. Other things going on...I started running for exercise and now I'm addicted. I finally got tired of being so exhausted by 3pm that I needed coffee to get me through until it was time to make dinner. And the thought of making dinner, cleaning up, and doing bedtime with the little kids just seemed unbearable some days. Running makes me feel so much more energetic (I'm hoping to lose some weight too). I started off briskly walking our road (round trip is 2 miles), then I worked up to walking/running in 2min/30 sec intervals. My friend, Lauri, and I started doing it together with another friend, Kristi, who is our coach. Kristi's a beast, but now we're up to walking/running 1 minute intervals each. Kristi works with us 3 days each week and we fill in the other days on our own. I've been going everyday, it's a great stress reducer too.

Well, it's time to run. It's Tuesday night and I'm off to women's Bible study. We just started a study on Jonah-Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. One of my favorite things to do is study the Word of God with a bunch of women! Actually it's a better stress reducer then running!

September Here and Gone! Part 2

It amazes me that our "baby boy" turned 22 this month! We had a small family party with all of us, both sets of grandparents, Wayne's in-laws, and a few others. Ok, small means like 30 people! We had a yummy dinner and Kerri made this delicious homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting - to die for.

Wayne Jr., Sierra, & Slava

My precious niece, Jessica, is getting married in November. We enjoyed a beautiful bridal shower last Sunday given by her bridal party.

Sierra, Jessica, & cousin Alexis

Tis the season for baking apple pie. We went apple picking (as seen above) and Sierra baked her very first apple pie all by herself. Her mother was out running...yes, I said running. And when I returned the pie was in the oven. I only had a spoonful to taste it and it was delish!

Slava has made great progress lately. Here he's playing Candy Land with Curtis. He's really good at it too. He knows his colors and understands the concept of the game.
Thank you for following my blog. I should be back up to posting weekly now that we're in a routine for school. Actually October is shaping up to be a very busy month to, but I promise to keep you all posted on the Lord's faithfulness and goodness to our family.

A Very Busy Summer Comes To A Close

I guess it's either feast or famine with my blogging! As most of you may know, Sierra made it home safe and sound from Cambodia. She had an awesome time and is already talking about going again next year! We spent the rest of August celebrating Jordan's 8th birthday, going to camp, and getting ready for school. Our school room was a catch-all over the summer and I had to wade through a mountain of stuff just to find the school books. Organizing, typing lesson plans, setting up curriculum, etc have been the order of most of my days. We will officially begin school on Sept 7th, but of course when you homeschool everyday is a learning opportunity.

Here Slava & Jordan look on as their big brother, Wayne Jr., pours a concrete sidewalk. Oh how they loved watching the cement truck send the wet cement down the chute and into the forms.
My Ukrainian kids LOVE sunflower seeds. Anna planted her own seeds and grew these 2 huge sunflowers all by herself. Presently she's attempting to dry them so she can harvest the seeds to eat.
This is the gang at Enchanted Forest-Water Safari in Old Forge, NY. I took our younger kids and my good friend Lauri came up with her younger kids for our annual trip to the water park. From l to r: Luci, Anna, Slava, Mary, Andrii (sitting) Sierra, Ezra, and Jordan. I think you can figure out which one is Paul Bunyan!
HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!!! We had a small party of about 40 people to celebrate. I say "small" because it was just family and some special friends! Jordan was very blessed. I can't wait to celebrate Slava's birthday in October. He will turn 6, but it will be his very first birthday party ever! He can already sing "Happy Birthday To You"!

It amazes me that Jordan is now 8 years old. He's still quite small for his age. In fact, he had an appointment with the Pediatric Endocrinologist at Albany Med in mid August. I was really praying about this because the concern is that he has Growth Hormone Deficiency which requires Growth Hormone Therapy (daily injections). I'm praying for the LORD's mercy and compassion on him. He has enough going on, I don't want to add that on top of it. The appointment went very well and stress free. Basically the Dr. got a base line of height, weight, blood work, and the hand x-ray. She wants to see him again in February to see if he's grown. Ideally he should grow 1 inch in that time...I'm praying he grows at least that...maybe even 2!

Well, that's it for our August. We fared very well with Hurricane Irene. We didn't even lose power, but we did gain my parents for a few days while their's was out. We ate lots of food and played lots of Yahtzee. The Lord has been very good to us! Thank you, Jesus!