Happy Birthday America & Happy Birthday Trey!

What a weekend! The 4th of July and Trey's birthday!

Last night, we went and saw some local fireworks and had such a great time! Trey loved them! He really enjoys the big ones (the ones that fill up the entire sky). He did so well and loved the festivities.

Today, Shane, Trey, and I celebrated Trey's birthday. I can't believe how big he is getting! He has grown over 4 inches and has gained 8 pounds since we brought him home in April 2008. He is really a big boy! He was unlike many orphans when we brought him home (50th percentile for both height and weight). I'm anxious to go back to the doctor and find out where he sits on the growth charts now! He is the tallest boy on his t-ball team and he was one of the tallest in his kindergarten class. He definitely fits in with our family as most of us are above-average height.

Back to Trey's birthday..... This morning, we went to church. Then, for lunch, we went to a place called "All-Aboard Diner". The restaurant is all about trains. We sat at a counter and a train actually delivered our food to us! Cool, huh? Then, after lunch, we (the three of us) came home and Trey opened his gifts. He got a pair of roller blades and I have to say that he is pretty good at them! At first, he struggled to just stay upright. However, he got better and better through the day and can go all the way to the mailbox and back on his own (very slowly...but without too much difficulty). AMAZING! Today, we also went swimming for a while, which was awesome! It was in the 80's here today and beautiful...so it was really a great day to be outside so much. After we swam, we had some birthday cake. We got an ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen and Trey just gobbled it up. He loved it!

Next week, we are going to have a "real party" with family, etc. We just avoided the party this weekend because of all of the holiday conflicts, etc. Therefore, the celebrating will simply be extended. Trey is really looking forward to his party!

Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Downtown Chicago

On Sunday, we took a trip to downtown Chicago. However, we opted to take the train into the City because Trey had never ridden on the train before. Our plan was to:

1. Take the train into Union Station (Downtown Chicago)
2. Get on the water taxi (down the Chicago River) and get off at Michigan Ave.
3. Walk a few blocks to the Rainforest Cafe'
4. Eat supper at the Rainforest Cafe' and then re-trace our steps (i.e. walk back to the water taxi, ride the water taxi back to Union Station, and then take the train home).

The day was really fun. However, very exhausting. Our train ride should have taken an hour each way and it was about an hour and a half each way. The stops were long and we were among many Cubs fans who were travelling to/from the game...so it was a bit crowded. Nonetheless, Trey really liked the train! His favorite part of the day was the water taxi. (He had never been on a boat either...). And...of course, he loved the Rainforest Cafe' (even though he had been there before).

The weather was perfect (70's and sunny)...so overall it was a good day! I have included some pictures for your enjoyment!

Have a GREAT Day!

Catching Up

Well, again....I have not been very faithful to updating our blog. Therefore, to recap the past month...I will try to give you some highlights:

1. Trey graduated from Kindergarten! Overall, his first year of school went well. Considering that he was still learning the English language through it all, we feel that he did very well! His teacher also agreed that he loves learning and has excelled as a kindergartner. He loves reading and writing and seems very prepared for 1st grade. Yeah Trey!

2. Trey has started to have a fascination with cars. We commute about 45 minutes to school each day (Chicago traffic is lovely!). Anyway, Trey has really taken to identifying cars. Some of his favorites are listed below with the names that he uses for each:

4 Circles: Audi
3 Pointed Star: Mercedes
Moscow: Mazda
Fancy "F": Ford

He tends to point these 4 cars out all the time and makes sure that we see them too. His overall favorite is the "4 Circles" car because that's what Papa sells at work. He is so observant! He is constantly noticing these cars.

3. Trey just started t-ball! He had his first (and only) practice last week and it went really well! He hit the ball well and was very good at throwing. We were a little concerned that the pace of the game (slow...) would not be conducive to Trey's high energy level. However, he proved us wrong. He did very well. Then, last night was his first game. Trey didn't do as well as his first practice. However, he is still learning the game and looks as though he will be fine once he has a better handle on what to do. For example: He was placed in left-center field for about 1/2 of the game. Well, there was NO action in left-center...so Trey had a hard time with 1.) staying in the outfield (he tends to pursue balls that are even in the infield) and 2.) waiting for a ball to come to him. Later, he was placed at 2nd base and he did much better in this position. Soo.....we feel that after a few games, he'll be just fine. He just needs to figure out what to do and then he'll play each position better. Nonetheless, it was so much fun to see our little guy in his uniform and playing with his team. We have included some pictures of his first baseball game for your enjoyment.

4. We are starting to take part in the summer reading program at our local library. We visited the library on Monday and picked out 4 books and a video. I think that Trey will really love the library and it should be a great way to advance his reading and have some fun!

Otherwise, we are doing very well. We're just busy...busy...busy...so posting on the blog has been hard to maintain. However, I hope to do a better job of this over the summer. I hope that you are doing well!

God's Blessings!

Our Little Guy

Here are some pictures from Trey's Easter Party at school...along with some photos from Easter weekend.

One Year Ago...

One year ago (today), Shane and I boarded a plane headed to Russia.....

Wow! This week is a week full of memories and milestones. One year ago (March 31, 2008), Shane and I left the Chicago O'Hare Airport and we knew that our lives were about to change in a BIG way! The little boy who we had met 8 months (YES....8 Months) prior was waiting for us on the other side of the world. We were SO EAGER to see him again.

On April 2nd, we arrived in Vladivostok, Russia (after a 35 hour trip). We were exhausted...but SO HAPPY to be back at the Vlad Inn. This very special place would be our home for the next several weeks.

On April 3rd, we were finally re-united with our son (Mischa) Trey. He was so excited to see us again and had talked about us often since our last meeting in July 2007. One piece of information that we did not know before April 3rd was that this would become our official "Gotcha Day!". Since Trey lived so far from Vladivostok, we were able to take him with us on April 3rd. What a blessing!

On April 4th, Shane and I stood in front of a Russian judge and became Trey's legal parents. What an emotional day! Even though, we already had Trey with us....we were still extremely nervous...and when the judge ruled that we were now Trey's official parents, the tears just flowed! Another quirky thing about April 4th (making it an even more special day...) is that on April 4th, 1999 (10 years ago), Shane called me for the first time. Therefore, the day that Trey became our legal son is also the day that I first spoke to my husband. What a unique coincidence!

Therefore, this week is a very special week for our family. We feel so blessed to all be together. I still can't believe that it has been a full year. Time really flies when you are having fun!

I just came across this quote on a friend's blog and I want to share it in connection with our upcoming "Gotcha Day". It's very special and definitely applies to our family.

Enjoy!

The Gift of Life
I didn't give you the gift of life, but in my heart I know
the love I feel is deep and real, as if it had been so.
For us to have each other is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you!

-Unknown Author

Picture Post

As promised...(however, a few days late...), I have some recent pictures for your enjoyment. Several of these pictures were taken at "Monkey Island". This is a place with quite a few oversized inflatable slides and jumping areas. As you can see, Shane and I couldn't resist ourselves. At the end of our visit, Shane and I jumped into the action with Trey. These slides are FUN!

I have also included a couple photos of Trey and his new keyboard. He loves music and has a real interest in the piano. Therefore, we got this keyboard on Sunday and we are looking into getting lessons for Trey. He is having SO MUCH FUN with this musical instrument!

Finally, I just wanted to update you on Trey's 1st grade screening. Trey passed with flying colors. The teacher said that he is definitely ready for 1st grade and accomplished everything that was presented to him. We are so proud of our little guy! Yeah Trey!

Quick Update

These blog entries are too few and too far between. I apologize. Life is just moving very quickly right now...and we are just trying to keep up....

I am in the midst of my spring season. Therefore, I am back in the gym in the afternoons with practices...so we have had some long days lately. Nonethless, life is good. One of my graduating seniors watches Trey after school and they are having lots of fun together. It's been really nice outside, so they have been going to a nearby park/playground and enjoying the opportunity to be outdoors.

Trey continues to do well. He was actually sick on Monday, though. Apparently, there is a pesky virus going around his school and it's getting to everyone. There are 12 kids in Trey's class and on Monday, there were only 5 students there. Yikes! Trey's main issue was a fever...however, he did slow down just a little bit (energy-wise). Otherwise, he looked and seemed ok. Now, he is just working to get rid of a lingering cough that started on Tuesday. All things considered, he is really lucky, though. Some of the kids missed multiple days of school.

Next week, Trey is going to visit a new school for 1st grade screening. I really hope that all goes well with this because we really want to send him to this particular school. I'm sure that it will all be fine because Trey is progressing as an average kindergartner right now. He is comprehending everything and loves learning! I'm sure that he'll actually enjoy the screening. So...I'll keep you posted on his "school situation". I'm guessing that we will hear relatively quickly on whether he is "in" or not.

This weekend, we have no plans, which I am thrilled about! I'm looking forward to spending some time with Trey and Shane and just relaxing a bit. It should be nice!

I promise that I will update with pictures sometime soon! I realize that I am a little behind. I'll try to get this done this weekend as well. In the meantime, I hope that this short (but sweet) post suffices. :o) Have a GREAT Day!

~Kathy