They love the beach

We spent another weekend down at Pop and Noni's place on the beach. This time was even more special for the boys as they brought their friend, Megs with them. She played with them in the water and on the beach and went on alot of rides with them. They all had a blast. It was nice to have a little mother's helper around as well. It was great escape as there was a nice breeze at the beach while back home was baking in a heat wave, with high 90's and no air.

Thanks to the little pool at home, Maks is getting alot braver in the water and thankfully the calmness of the bay helped alot too. Alek was a maniac in the water as usual. My little fish.

Noni bought a fun new pool for the backyard, which they had a blast in after the beach. We enjoyed a fun night on the boardwalk. We had dinner at my favorite pizza place and our waitress just happened to be from Yaroslav, Russia, she knew exactly where Kirov was.

Then it was on to the rides. Maks definitely enjoyed them alot more than last year, although he was a little unsure of the airplane one.

Alek went on the bumper cars with Megs and he loved it. He was telling Meg which car to hit, he was cracking it, it was so cute. I even got to go on a ride, so that was fun for me. It was a great weekend and they already keep asking me when we are going back down, thankfully just a 2 week wait.

Alek has been obsessed lately with baseball, mainly his hitting, but now him and Daddy are into having catches. Alek started using a glove and is doing pretty good. He has a great arm as well!

Maks' stats and Alek's fib

Maks had his 6 month follow-up with his asthma specialist. He is doing well. He was fighting off a cold, but nothing hanging out in his lungs. So we just started our flare protocol to be sure.

Anyway, they did his measurements and he is now 36.6 inches and 30 pounds. So since his October 2 yr well check up, he has grown 4.6 inches! He still weighs the same though, he is really thinning out!! I guess it is all the extra activity and chasing after Alek.

Alek finished up his sports camp and got a certificate, he was so proud! I know he was a little sad saying good bye to coach Zoe, he told me he misses her.

We had a first last night with Alek, not one we are proud to announce. He told his first lie. It made me so sad and caught me off guard too, so I hope I handled it ok.
I know at this age they don't really grasp the concept, so I tried to instill in him that while he still may get in trouble for whatever he did wrong, lying about it only makes it worse.
He was one sad boy last night. We talked more today about what is the truth and what is not, he seemed to understand a little more.
I am sure this is just the first of many to come-yikes! What scares me even more is how quick this kid thinks on his feet!!

Safety

Unfortunately, many times it takes a tragedy to remind us how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.
There is a news story making its way through the adoption community and it is one that many of us have heard before, especially in the summer months. Child is accidently left or forgotten in a car, the child dies.
This time the child was a toddler, recently adopted from Russia, home only 3 months.

My post is not to talk about this horrifying tragedy nor to debate what should be done to the parents in these types of situations, but rather a reminder that we all should be taking safety precautions when it comes to our kids.

I know when Alek first came home and also prior to that, I remember hearing a couple of these stories and they shook me to the bone. Not because I was condemning the parents or thinking how on earth could they do such a thing, but more because of a fear, was I or my husband ever capable of making a mistake like this? Could you get so tired or so out of sorts that you could forget your child was with you? I remember those days before my kids when I was on auto pilot going to work. You know those times when you think, God I don't even remember driving here. It really freaked me out and I knew I had to do something so we would never become one of those horror stories. Approximately 36 children per year die this way.

From then on, I started putting my handbag and my bags for work on the back seat floor. It was one simple extra step I could do. It was just like the child proofing measures we take around the house, gates, cabinet locks, outlet guards. No one questions why parents do these things, we know how quickly kids can get into things, we know how it only takes a second of turning our backs or running to the bathroom for tragedy to happen.
So why not take this extra step for your car and your morning routine?

Come up with a plan, especially if your routine is changed, someone else is doing drop off. Call each other. If you are a single parent, make a plan with your day care provider, that if you don't show up by a certain time, they will call you.
I call Kevin every morning after I drop the boys off. He leaves for work before we even get up. That way he knows the boys are ok and in school and I can fill in him on the morning shenanigans.
Not too long ago, I forgot to call him, I got caught up listening to a show on NPR and he called me. So simple, so easy to make it your new routine.

So please remember this, talk to your friends and co-workers, a simple conversation could potentially save a life.

For more info and tips, please check out:
http://www.kidsandcars.org/

Sharing

The boys met a milestone together which is so cool! We have been trying to teach Alek how to swing on his own, he has always resisted. He just likes one of us pushing him and that is ok.

I guess thanks to some of his friends at school he finally started to do it! And then in one day, Maks was doing it, at 2 1/2 yrs old! He does it really good, we were so impressed. I guess he just really wanted to keep up with Alek. It is alot of fun watching them do it. They both will stay on the swing for a long time.

Thankfully no one has tried the flying leap off the swing yet, although with these two daredevils, I am sure that is just around the corner!

More pictures

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Long weekend fun

We had a very nice 3 day weekend, despite the weather. I finally talked to Kevin into one of those above the ground pool jobs. He fought it for so long, but finally caved. Of course he has been in it almost as much as the kids! The kids love it and it is perfect depth for both of them. They were so excited when it was finally set up.

We were pretty lazy the morning of the 4th, so we didn't get to any parades. It was rainy as well. Friends came up for some BBQ fun. We could see some fireworks from our house, so that was perfect. Didn't want to take Maks as he still scares a bit easily. So it was the perfect set up.

Maks was a maniac with the shrimp cocktail, he was addicted, he kept coming back for more, we had to finally cut him off. The kid is an eating machine!!

Saturday, Alek and I took in WALL E, the movie. It was cute, a little slow beginning in regards to talking, so hard to hold a littler ones attention, but it picked up and was pretty cute. Alek said he like Horton better.

Sunday, more friends came up to enjoy the new pool. So it was a fun yet relaxing weekend all around!

Alek started mini sports camp today. It lasts for the week. It was really cute and he had a great time. Maks liked it because it is at the park, so he gets to play around a bit too!

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Happy 4th of July!

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Your life in 6 words

Ok, I have been hit with this via email several times today--your life in six words-wow-that is a tough one! Of course this consumed too much of my time and thoughts today, I had a very hard time getting it under 10 words.

What kept running through my mind was: Relax, there's always wine in the fridge. But not everyone would appreciate that humor.
Then I was thinking about that old poem about boys and girls: Snakes and snails and puppydog tails...
This is what I finally came up with, I tried to do funny or crazy, but wound up with mushy, oh well, at least I got it to six words!

Life is a leap of faith.

Ok so I am forwarding the email to my none blogging friends and sending the challenge to the following blogger gals: Kristen, Beth, Tanya, Marie, Teresa, and Patti. You are up girls! Lets see your answers on your blog or in my comments! Good luck!

Boys or Girls?

Found this article the other day and I have to say, I felt like it spoke directly to me!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/06/17/harder.to.raise/index.html

This paragraph really helped me feel better about raising boys.

"DISCIPLINE Who's harder? Boys
Why don't boys seem to listen? Turns out their hearing is not as good as girls' right from birth, and this difference only gets greater as kids get older. Girls' hearing is more sensitive in the frequency range critical to speech discrimination, and the verbal centers in their brains develop more quickly. That means a girl is likely to respond better to discipline strategies such as praise or warnings like "Don't do that" or "Use your words." "Boys tend to be more tactile -- they may need to be picked up and plunked in a time-out chair," Gurian says. They're also less verbal and more impulsive, he adds, which is especially evident in the toddler and preschool years.
These developmental differences contribute to the mislabeling of normal behavior as problematic, a growing number of observers say. Five boys for every one girl are diagnosed with a "disorder" (including conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, sensory integration disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder), says Stein, also the author of "Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco." Some kids -- most often boys -- may simply fall on the more robust end of normal. They need more opportunities to expend energy and aggression, as well as firmer limits"

Our guys are definitely active, they love physical activities and they have alot of energy. While I joke how tiring it is, I love it, I love how they want to try new things, how they are not afraid to explore and test their limits. To me it goes along with their self confidence. I have watched Maks over the past year and a half, go from being afraid of everything to trying to keep up with his brother in most activites.

But, I also love how Alek will plop himself on the floor with a pile of books and sit there for an hour just paging through and reading or how he gets excited with the games on his little laptop and how well he can write all his letters and our names. I love how Maks will sit and build extensive creations with his Legos and how he loves to fix anything that seems to be broken. He is our little engineer or architect.

I have heard many of the comments from people, especially if we are at parties or outdoor activities, about how "busy" are boys are. I always wonder what that is "code" for. Most of the time I don't think it is a compliment!

Of course that sometimes it is hard not to question-are they really that "busy", is there something wrong with them? My gut screams no, they are doing great, but as a parent, especially adoptive parent, you still feel like you have to research and read until you are blue in the face. So I have read every article on every disorder, talked to our pediatrician, talked to their teachers, and compared my kids to the checklists (red flags and what to look for...) and come to the conclusion they are just happy, active boys.

So that is why this article was so great for me to read and for Kevin as well.

"Some kids -- most often boys -- may simply fall on the more robust end of normal. They need more opportunities to expend energy and aggression, as well as firmer limits"

Yep, that is Alek and Maks and I wouldn't want them any other way!

Bye Bye crib

Well Maks has made the move to his big boy bed. Technically he should have been in it about 10 months ago when he started climbing in and out of his crib, but mommy was not ready to give up the crib yet. I am still sad over it, he is our last and I feel the last part of "babyhood" has slipped away. Well we are still in pull-ups, but he is definitely not my little baby anymore.

This all happened over the weekend. He had a rough night with a cough, so I brought him in the twin bed and slept with him. The next day for nap, he said no to the crib and said, "bed naps" and climbed into the twin bed.
Same thing that night and that was it. He says "night night" to his crib and gets into bed with his bears and his blanket.
I am proud of him, but heart hurts as I look at the empty crib.
It just all goes way too fast.

In other bed related news, it seems Alek just doesn't nap anymore. At school and camp, he does quiet time with books while others are napping (though once a week we get a note he was a little disruptive). Weekends he won't nap unless you lay down with him and pretty much force him into it.
For the most part he is ok without a nap, the plus is he goes to bed earlier and sleeps longer.
The minus, those 2 hours of getting some cleaning and laundry done in peace are gone!
He does have days when he is melting down by 6pm, but they seem few and far between anymore.
Again, where does the time go?
I miss my babies.....

In other activity related news:

Alek has been enjoying camp, which comes to end tomorrow, he is none to happy about it and has let me know each day. I promised him next year he could go all summer. I am trying to sell the extra activities at school and the private swim lessons and the biddy sports camp we signed him up for. I think it is working!

Maks is really starting to do everything Alek does, he lost most of his fear (unfortunately) and throws caution to the wind and goes for it. I hold my breath and hope for the best! His agility is improving alot, he has mastered pedaling his big wheel, balancing and riding a scooter and climbing the swing set. He is so proud of himself, his self confidence has really taken off as his speech has improved. It is great to see.

We all are enjoying the start to summer, lots of fun so far!

One Cool Dad

Happy Father's Day Kevin! You are a great dad and it has been so much fun watching you with the boys and how much they just love being around you and hanging out with you. Alek always says, "Daddy is cool", Daddy is a big guy" and "Daddy is really strong", and of course, when he grows up he wants to be one of "daddys workers". Alek and Maks adore you and you are truly an amazing father. I love watching them help you work, play baseball or soccer with you, read with you and wrestle. You are their hero and it has been a blast sharing their lives with you--we are so lucky!!

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Escape

After all the craziness of the last month, we finally snuck away to the beach for the weekend.
It was a great weekend, aside from the invasion of the horseshoe crabs and their annual laying of their eggs on the beach. The boys thought it was cool though and they became crab rescuers, turning over the crabs that were stuck on their backs. Gotta love boys for the dirty stuff! I did learn more about horseshoe crabs this weekend then is really necessary, but actually pretty fascinating.
So we spent saturday morning looking for more cool rocks to add to Alek's collection and watching out for the crabs. Kevin bought Alek a spiderman fishing rod and a Lightning McQueen net for Maks, so Alek practice his casting and Maks practiced catching bugs and rocks in his net. It was very cute.
Pop and Noni stopped down for a visit and a nice walk on the beach. After lunch we headed down further to Lewes to hang out with friends on their beach, sans the crabs, so the boys could swim a bit. It was cold but it didn't seem to bother Alek, Maks was a little more hesitant. The timing was perfect as it was low tide and they got to explore the sandbar. There was much excitement as we found a very large conch, so the boys got to see its "foot" and now it moves on the bay floor.
Alek got to go fishing for real at a local pond and he caught a handfull of sunnies, of course, leave it to daddy to forget to take pictures. Married to a shutterbug, you think he would know by now! So Alek got to throw them back in and also wound up in the pond himself, there is a surprise!
Sunday was extremely hot so we headed home early. It was a very nice weekend and just great to get away!

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Our little camper

Today was Alek's first day of camp. He is going twice a week for a month. I think mommy was more nervous than Alek. He walked in excitedly and loved checking out all the new toys and books. Then we went outside to the playground and off he ran. He came back to tell me how neat it was a couple times, then I told him mommy was headed to work, he gave me hugs and kisses and then ran back for a high five.

I sat outside and watched him play. I still can't believe my baby is old enough for this. I was thinking about all those years I worked day camp and all those little cute 4 year olds I taught in the pool and now I am the mom to one.

Kevin and I were both excited to pick him up, but I got to do it. He was playing trucks with two little boys when I got there. They said he did great and he loved the pool, which is not a surprise. They said he did great during lesson time in the water and loved the games they played.

He was so happy, he said he loved camp and loved the pool.

He told me he was too excited to take a nap there, but he would try next time.

I am happy it all worked out, although now we are thinking maybe we should have signed him up for June and July!

So here is our little camper in his new camp shirt!

Warm weather fun

The unofficial start of summer has been fun already. The weather has been great and the boys are having lots of fun.

Each day I feel better and better after surgery and slowly my energy is coming back.

I got the all clear from the surgeon, so I can lift my little guys again, I know Maks is very happy about that!

Memorial day weekend was filled with activites for the kids. Alek and Maks had their first fishing lesson thanks to Jeff and Daddy. Alek did great, he really surprised us at how well he was casting. So he is ready for some fishing at the beach. They both were fascinated by thw worms used for fishing, of course.

They had a blast at the annual picnic and parade at JoJo's house. Maks loved catching the candy thrown from some of the participants in the parade, he was sticky all morning!

Alek and Maks loved the slides and tunnel and moonbounce as well. Except we couldn't get them out of the tunnel, which held up the line, lots of dirty looks from some angry parents and kids waiting their turn, definitely one of those embarrassing mom moments!

Alek got to ride a pony as well, he loved it. He wants a pet horse now. At least that is smaller than the pet elephant he has been asking for lately!

Alek starts day camp this week. I can't believe it. It doesn't seem real that he is old enough for it. We are sending him two days a week for the month of June, he seems excited at all the new things he will get to do. They have swim lessons in the morning and then free swim in the afternoon, so that is what he is most excited about. I am nervous of course, hoping he won't be scared or shy in this new environment.

Maks' speech has really taken off lately. He has alot of two word sentences and so many new words each day. It is so fun to watch. You can see his frustration level decrease each day, now that he can communicate what he wants or needs. It has been easier too for the boys to play together, although Alek's days of blaming everything on Maks are over as Maks can now tell us who did what!

So we are looking forward to a fun filled summer and lots of time at the beach!!

Boys

This is their favorite thing to do lately, driving. They love it and ask to do it everyday. It is so fun, they chase each other, race each other (altho the John Deere is not made for speed). Maks surprises us at how well he steers and drives. Alek calls his ATV his TVS, he can't get the initials right, it is funny.

Kevin thinks he is ready for a gas powered on, I shot that down right away. 3mph with a battery is fast enough for me!!

Update

Well I am a week out of surgery. Surgery went really well, just as we wanted it to and I was home the next afternoon. Many thanks to JoJo and LaLa for helping out with the boys that day, they had a blast. I missed them so much that one night. Kevin said Maks cried in his sleep most of the night, calling out mama. Alek slept well but was upset when I wasn't there in the morning. I did talk to him and he was rattling off all he did the day before, it was sweet.

It was really hard not being able to pick them up and hug them tight.

I unfortunately have had a couple set backs this past week with infections, but hopefully this week will be brighter! It is really hard for me to feel this fatigued. Alek keeps asking me when I will be better and Maks is obsessed with my boo boos, he loves examining anyone's boo boos (I see a future in medicine...).

Grammom came up on Friday to play with the boys, so I got some good rest and woke up to the wonderful smells of cooking, a roasted chicken, stuffing and homemade mac and cheese, just what the doctor ordered for a cold rainy day! mac and cheese is the ultime comfort food in my book!

Alek got his first buzz cut of the season, which was perfect timing as daddy was trimming we found a tick. So much easier to look for ticks with the buzz cut! It just makes him look so much older!

So I am looking forward to a better week and fun Memorial Day weekend with the family!

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