Playing Catch Up and Bye, Bye Orphanage!

Where has the time gone!

We have been here, there, and everywhere!



Our weekend with Princess Sophia was cancelled due to sickness and weather. We were very bummed out but will hopefully see everyone in the near future....if not, definitely in June, at KAZAPALOOZA!




We had a "snowstorm" for Kentucky with a big 4 inches in Lexington......boredom overtook us quickly as schools and all activities were cancelled. Alas, we watched a little more TV than usual...but isn't that what snowdays are all about? Nick hates to "suit up" so excursions to the outside were far and few between.

Nick on one of our snow days! Kicked back and well, I hope he doesn't eat often off that table.....

We had to do School pics during Nick's last illness. We had permission to bring Nick up for his pics and then take him back home. Notice how he looks and smiles.....it is very hard to tell when this boy is sick.....I guess we are lucky that he is a sweet and happy sickie! I told him that he had to stay with me while the other boys and girls had their pictures because he was sick. He stayed with me grudgingly and got me back when it was time for the group picture and he did not want to partcipate and go up on stage with the other boys and girls......He said, No! Nick SICK , ma-member (remember) Mama? Now, he chooses to listen! Ha!




We had some good weather finally and got out to the park with our friends Ryan and Kelly. It is nice for the moms because the dads are bigger goofs than the children.....we had to add the children to make the picture respectable....they were riding it alone without the kids....they were definitely testing the steel springs!


Nick's new favorite thing is to ride on daddy's shoulders. I love it because I don't have to carry him as much anymore! Not sure Pat is as excited about it as I am?

Nick has been taking major naps in the last few months so either a growth spurt is occuring (he has already grown almost 4 inches in a year!) or he is taking on the sleeping habits of a teenager (which would make sense because he already has the attitude!) ha! Papa often comes home and Nick will barely have rolled out of the bed.....this day, Pat had to go get him from bed and bring him downstairs and then quickly became the bed! ha! Nick was out cold....so cute! And, Amigo actually got up and walked over to the chair when he saw me get the camera as if to say.....ummm, remember me? I'm cute too!

We were gone for several days to Gatlinburg to meet Pat's parents for a long weekend....they are making their way back north after wintering in Florida. We rode the tram up the mountain and Nick loved it!

We also visited the Aquarium but this was the only moment Nick actually acted like he was interested in anything there. Definitely not paying for Disney world yet......Notice the Monkey on Nick's back.....a harness type thing that is supposed to be cute so the child will wear it and stay close by....Nick thinks it is a leash to pull mom and dad by......Anyone have creative ideas on how to get a child to stay close by in a crowd....if you hold his hand firmly, he screams "ouch, you are hurting me, no hurting me mama" Can you say "social services visit"..........I am hoping that this is a maturity thing that he will grow out of soon! We have tried everything short of never leaving the house (getting close to this one) or DUCT TAPE!

He did like this pirate's wheel in an interactive part of the aquarium!

Nick went to a small kids park with Daddy and Granpa while mama and Grandma shopped.

A miniture swinging pirate ship! What fun!

Pat and I are still adjusting to the "vacations will never be the same again" feeling but feel very hopeful that they will in years to come at least be "relaxing" again?

Funny Phrases in Gburg.......

"Nick no walk anymore, Nick dizzy! " big sigh

plopped down on a bench with the "thinker" pose...."No Walk, Nick hard day" along with another big sigh"

"Nick no like it here, make nose itchy!

*******************************************************************

We are looking forward to our first "second".......it will be our second Easter with Nick. Last year we celebrated with our Wisconsin Kazakstan connection in Almaty, our "new best friends" Kiersten and Brad and their sweet girls. They work for the U.S. in Almaty and kept us sane (used liberally) for our last 2 1/2 unexpected weeks in Almaty. Pat's parents and sister are here this weekend to share in this special holiday with us.

We are also celebrating TODAY, Nick's Orphanage departure date (our version of the GOTCHA day)......On March 21st last year, we walked out of the Zhezkazgan baby house a new family! We never did show the video of that moment. It does not show the crying before hand in the green room. Dr. Roza was holding Nick's face in her hands and talking to him and crying. I can't even type it without tearing up at the memory. We have no doubts that his caretakers loved him and cared for him the best they could. His loving spirit is evidence of that! These videos show the "suiting up" for departure....no wonder, he still hates it .......and Dr. Roza walking us out and saying good bye. It seems quick but so much led up to those 38 seconds! (also, an unrelated side note, take a look at Dr. Roza's boots....typical fare for the women on the ICE)

He looks like such a little boy here......considering he has gained lots of weight and grown so much, he only barely resembles that serious little boy. I found another cute video that I will show soon of how immediate his personality changed once leaving the baby house. He almost overnight started saying the words that we had said to him over and over in the green room and the smiles started popping up all over the place (so did his temper but we were glad to know the boy had passion about something!) ;) Well, I still have a month to tie up our walk down memorey lane. It boggles my mind how much time we spent there.....glad we have it all in the blog!

Funny how time changes your perception of an event or memory of a moment.....Someday, I want to sit with God and just go over my whole life but especially the adoption and just discuss and be amazed at His orchestration of it all. Only He could have designed such a unique plan for us....cosmic collision, destiny, fate, Karma is just not good enough to explain the creation of a family in this special way, No one would ever say a beautiful Opera or Great classical piece of music or for my husband's sake, a really good Rock ballad, just exploded into creation or happened just by chance....there had to be a writer, a musician, a poet, to create them.........thus we believe and know to our core that Our creator and God hand wrote this Opus, this symphony, this poem, this journey, for us and on the first day of spring in 2007, we began the adventure of a lifetime with Nicholas.....out the door of the baby house, one step and one day at a time.