tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267920182012-02-16T07:52:26.444-06:00A Russian/American family story...Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.comBlogger11151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-72492947905177811432012-02-12T20:57:00.002-06:002012-02-12T21:03:04.798-06:00

First weekend, day parade.I always love seeing the Bud Clydesdales. AK really did too this year. AA just thinks they're big and intimidating... but AK is intimidated by nothing!My favorite bead magnets.Two parades, no naps and lots of beads make for exhausted little girls by the end of the day!Part 2 to follow... these pics were on my phone but I have a bunch on my camera too that I haven't

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-90328582134646516342012-02-05T11:03:00.004-06:002012-02-05T11:22:26.131-06:00

This is getting to be a regular thing, it seems. I only have time to update this blog on the weekends. Of course, now that the girls are in school, there isn't that much to tell during the week anyway. We get up way too early, I go to work and the girls go to school. The usual stuff happens in both places, and we reconnect at the end of the day. Homework, supper, bed and rest up to do it all

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-17995141676795327322012-01-29T19:47:00.002-06:002012-01-29T19:56:02.334-06:00

We had a good weekend... kinda busy on Saturday, but fun. In addition to all the usual Saturday activities, we managed to fit in a short geocaching expedition that resulted in two finds. Unfortunately, with the recent rains, one cache was a soggy mess. AA was excited to find it anyway though. We couldn't even sign the log, but retrieved a dry piece of paper from the car and left it in the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-30005656210591824222012-01-04T21:47:00.000-06:002012-01-04T21:48:13.232-06:00

I liked this so much I had to frame it to hang in my room. :-)

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-61756003033737307652012-01-01T20:46:00.001-06:002012-01-01T20:46:32.009-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-69389433803067877002011-12-31T19:38:00.003-06:002011-12-31T19:43:24.698-06:00

Wow. It is so hard to believe. 4 years ago today... the girls came home! We celebrated in the usual way, with cupcakes and candles. Happy family day to us!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-21156338681988993852011-12-29T22:12:00.003-06:002011-12-29T22:24:04.593-06:00

The weather was GORGEOUS today! Didn't even need a jacket. Opened the house up for some fresh air too. Glad we finally got outside for a few hours this afternoon.We started off our day with a termite inspection (termite infestation in the neighborhood, YIKES!). Good thing we had our inspection, because it turns out that since Ike, there has been a new "bloom" on the island, with a less

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-60345200833202117612011-12-28T20:40:00.000-06:002011-12-28T20:41:26.572-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-92025927900462695382011-12-28T14:05:00.004-06:002011-12-28T14:27:05.707-06:00

We have been introduced to a very fun new activity... geocaching! And we really needed something fun to do outside, since we are displaced from the island most of the time these days. I had actually heard of geocaching a couple of years ago, thought it sounded fun but for whatever reason just had never really investigated it. But my friend Jeff and his son are doing it and introduced us.The

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-58553147802464482532011-12-24T18:09:00.001-06:002011-12-24T18:09:44.424-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-8679319375564386532011-12-19T20:33:00.002-06:002011-12-19T20:49:39.266-06:00

I am getting so addicted to how easy it is to use my iPhone as my main camera! I took photos two weeks ago at the girls' Christmas program at school and have yet to download the camera. Maybe over the holiday break I will get that done and add a post with those pics.Whatever! But last weekend, we had our annual outing to the Nutcracker. As usual, the girls were transfixed. They love, love,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-32302464071868904432011-12-05T20:50:00.003-06:002011-12-05T21:03:03.933-06:00

This past weekend was our annual outing to Dickens on the Strand in Galveston. We always manage to have the best time!Face painting tradition - check!Visit to the snow yard - check!Not nearly as much fun in the snow as we will have during our upcoming annual ski trip in CO with the Justice family, but not bad for Galveston on a day when we'd been wearing shorts and flip-flops prior to getting

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-73443649714250614812011-11-27T15:13:00.003-06:002011-11-27T15:31:21.612-06:00

Yesterday we had so much fun putting up our Christmas tree and getting into the Christmas spirit! While the girls were napping, I unpacked boxes of decorations... it looked like Christmas exploded in my living room. I set up the tree, put on the very fragile ball decorations and tinsel, and we were ready to go after naps. (When I bought this tree I was smart enough to buy a pre-lit one! Best

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-25280420891564779532011-11-26T21:42:00.004-06:002011-11-26T21:50:21.607-06:00

AA and AK starting the dressingOh my, this one is HILARIOUS... AK giving instructions about how much pie (she thinks!) she wants! I can't believe I actually caught this!And a little fall fun, the day after Thanksgiving...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-65932253660587526612011-11-24T08:14:00.000-06:002011-11-26T08:18:18.165-06:00

From AnnieFrom AbbyeMy happy Thanksgiving decorations... :-) These will be going up next year too.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-78496776930345703432011-11-16T10:22:00.004-06:002011-11-16T10:38:58.481-06:00

Don't you just love days that start with a screaming kid?! Not so much...The GI bug has struck our household. Started with AA this morning. AK fine initially. In fact, fine until we were about to enter the carpool lane at school, at which point she threw up all over herself, her car seat, etc. So we bypassed the carpool lane, stopped for 7-Up on the way home and settled in for the day. Here

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-58235619643443424322011-11-07T20:35:00.002-06:002011-11-07T20:41:06.497-06:00

We have a nanny!! And so far, wonderful! Today was her first day with the girls. They all appeared to have had a wonderful time and the girls gave her big hugs when she left today. They were playing a board game when I got home that involved counting and saying colors in Russian, plus they had worked on some other vocabulary words. I am so pleased I can't even believe it. We just may have

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-11640023488094677862011-10-19T20:00:00.003-05:002011-10-19T20:42:20.232-05:00

Big news around here this week.First, we'll cover technology. I GOT MY NEW IPHONE 4S!!!! And I LOVE IT! It is awesome, and I'm so glad my old iPhone cooperated by not dying prior to the release of the 4S. And I've been worried for months it wasn't going to make it. It is now peacefully retired to iPod status.I'm more in love with my MacBook Air every day.I bought a new game for Abbye for the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-84946570064622718532011-09-30T23:14:00.002-05:002011-09-30T23:23:52.968-05:00

They are just so cute in their little ballerina outfits, doing little ballerina stuff, I can't stand it! lolPlaying bocce (or at least A&A's version of it!) with my friend Gus. They think he is their big brother, I think! Or maybe another uncle?And last... before college day at school today. I didn't make it to the store this week to get them their own TCU shirts, but fortunately two of mine

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-66391113506330401452011-09-24T13:20:00.000-05:002011-09-26T06:25:57.831-05:00

This weekend the girls finally got to start ballet and tap! Their class started two weeks ago, but we were out of town and then last weekend was just too crazy hectic. But they finally got to go this week. And they had a blast! Why did I not think about tap before now?! A perfect outlet for their naturally-noisy feet! I can't wait to see how this turns out. At first I was not so excited

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-9810175072245006852011-09-23T19:20:00.003-05:002011-09-23T19:23:38.397-05:00

Today I received an email from the girls' aunt Tanya that her husband Oleg died two days ago. The funeral was today.Tanya hadn't mentioned anything about him being ill, so I think that was unexpected. We are all about the same age. So sad. I'm sad for Tanya and her children, and also for our little family, that we will not get to meet him. Maybe I'd better not delay taking the girls to Russia

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-63596333051096786402011-09-23T19:15:00.002-05:002011-09-23T19:19:20.041-05:00

My middle child CRACKS ME UP!Our day started with AA declaring that her feet were cold this morning. Um... ok. Did you ever think about not wearing sandals when it's 60 degrees outside?! Good idea... so she changes shoes.On the way home today... she informs me that Nicholas (one of her classmates) has asked her to homecoming tomorrow. She wants to go PUH-LEEZE and she needs to wear a pretty

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-61599069613300314322011-09-10T20:25:00.002-05:002011-09-10T20:34:32.992-05:00

The birthday boys/girls, 2011:What a bunch of good-looking kids! And one more on the way... in two more weeks, this little group of cousins will have a third baby boy. But the boys still have a way to go to catch up with the girls!And this group of girl cousins is TIGHT. Although they only all see each other a couple of times a year, you'd never know it to see them together. They just act

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-58917238327765695792011-09-09T16:40:00.003-05:002011-09-09T17:10:44.666-05:00

I had the hardest time getting my photos uploaded, and now I'll no doubt have the hardest time choosing which ones to talk about.Recently I was in Vienna for a conference, and we took the opportunity to play hard as well as work. This was my first trip to Vienna and it was AMAZING. I definitely want to go back someday.One of my favorite things was seeing the Spanish Riding School and the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-47686269878185047862011-09-06T21:31:00.002-05:002011-09-06T21:34:30.499-05:00

Read this post about a child who was adopted as an "older child" from China. It's so hard to think about, and true for Russia too. My kids came home as babies, but this post still brings tears to my eyes.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-69305463047659505132011-09-05T18:53:00.002-05:002011-09-05T19:05:15.636-05:00

...proud of themselves! The weather has finally decided to not roast us every time we step outside. So yesterday, instead of driving to Grandma & Poppy's house, we decided to walk. But then the girls decided they wanted to ride their bikes. They got bikes for their birthdays this spring, but have mostly just played with them and not made any significant efforts toward really learning to ride.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-71175603916888625402011-08-22T19:50:00.002-05:002011-08-22T20:03:40.348-05:00

Are they cute, or what?! AA and AK were so excited about school this morning, and all ready to go. None of the usual morning dilly-dallying... which was an oh-so-welcome change! They were excited about having big girl back packs to take and looking forward to the day's adventures. Here is Abbye, in her new classroom, getting started on her first coloring assignment for first grade.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-31933389803834791352011-08-21T19:39:00.004-05:002011-08-21T19:46:47.673-05:00

Wow, it seems like such a long time since we've had a weekend at home! And it was a great weekend too. Annie's latest antics with Rottney... that dog would let her do anything to him, I do believe. And today at the river, with Grandma, Poppy and friend Sarah. I can't believe school starts tomorrow! First of all, what the heck happened to the summer?! And second... my BABY starts

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-11936805810169438592011-08-16T12:01:00.003-05:002011-08-16T12:03:36.781-05:00

We all had dentist appointments today... the girls had great checkups (thank goodness, and unusual btw for Russian adoptees if you didn't know that) AND... the big news... Abbye has her FIRST LOOSE TOOTH! She's pretty excited. I'm hopeful. Her new tooth is coming in behind the baby tooth, so it remains to be seen if the baby one can be coaxed out with lots of wiggling. Keeping fingers

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-82590260620424685132011-08-16T11:50:00.003-05:002011-08-16T12:00:10.747-05:00

This is from a fountain that I particularly like in Chicago, which, as long-time readers will know, is one of my favorite places anyway. Excuse the weirdness exhibited by my scanner... I don't know why it has that B&W streak just right of middle. Anyway, it's just a first coat but so far I'm liking it. And it was great being back in class to work on it. I miss my studio,

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-59052644591909922672011-08-14T14:42:00.002-05:002011-08-14T14:51:00.645-05:00

...who want me to post more! MG water park fun! In any other context, these two would NOT be happy about having large buckets of water dumped on their heads!! But for some reason, at MG they LOVE it. Their (almost) favorite thing to do, next to the wave pool. The wave pool is always too crowded, so as far as I'm concerned they can save their wave infatuation for the actual beach!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-82377954905888413302011-07-31T11:52:00.000-05:002011-07-31T11:53:06.987-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-53763367475301210342011-07-28T21:02:00.003-05:002011-07-28T21:17:03.583-05:00

And it has been BUSY... the little girls took swimming lessons...Little Miss FearlessAbbye overcoming some of her hesitation as wellAnd then we went to Galveston. Here we are having a great time at Moody Gardens.Waiting for Kelly McGuire to start playingKelly taking a break with the girls :-)More Moody Gardens water funAnd, of course, the beach... I love this photo.Annie refusing to smile.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-18665367422207409402011-07-17T18:46:00.002-05:002011-07-17T18:49:28.502-05:00

Ingredients:1 package chocolate chips1 package ripe strawberriesSmall children, quantity based on personal preferenceInstructions: Empty chocolate chips into zip-top bag. Place bag on beach towel in full sun, while playing. When melted, allow unrestricted mixing of all ingredients. Enjoy!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-69159550655412122632011-07-17T14:10:00.002-05:002011-07-17T20:06:41.796-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-72869653494672184832011-07-16T09:28:00.002-05:002011-07-16T09:57:58.782-05:00

Parker County Peach Festival, last weekend... It was HOT, HOT, HOT. Typical festival kinds of stuff... mainly crafts and other booths selling stuff to look at, lots of good festival food, bounce houses for the kids, a little train to ride and so on. We did eat some peach ice cream. And I had some good fish tacos (for breakfast!)...Palm Beach, Moody Gardens, GalvestonMy arms were too short to

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-22424733223758837682011-06-21T20:51:00.002-05:002011-06-21T20:56:58.589-05:00

And a good time was had by all. The girls L.O.V.E. the rodeo! They look forward to it all year long and then of course before we know it, it is over for another year. I don't know how much actual rodeo watching they did, but they had a good time anyway!Poppy (my dad) and the girls, including cousin Charlsi.Sharing (or rationing??) popcorn

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-38445490907779653172011-06-14T21:26:00.002-05:002011-06-14T21:45:10.260-05:00

When I was filling out my time sheet for the hospital for April, on the 26th instead of putting in the hours I worked, I put in the date again... making it look like I worked 26 hours. That would be a good trick if I could actually figure out how to get 26 hours of work into a 24 hour day! And actually that is pretty much how things have felt lately. Always so much going on, and never enough

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-70826190976548066032011-05-31T21:27:00.001-05:002011-05-31T21:27:58.889-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-30328599175872271932011-05-30T21:32:00.002-05:002011-05-30T21:35:39.220-05:00

It is not right that a small study sketch I spend less than 10 minutes on turns out better than some of the stuff I spend hours laboring over! Bright yellow flowers make me happy.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-61460567323523327222011-05-29T20:32:00.002-05:002011-05-29T20:43:39.242-05:00

A little catching up to do! In reverse order, as it happens... first are photos from yesterday taken at one of my BFF's house. She had not seen the girls since shortly after they came home and we absolutely had THE BEST day. The girls swam from 1:00 until I dragged them out at 8:00 last night! As you might imagine, they were asleep almost instantly!Annie - the little stinker - had a scare.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-41963627354177502572011-05-16T20:44:00.002-05:002011-05-16T20:55:02.615-05:00

Swingy-carousel thingyARRR!!! Pirates! (pay no attention to the cheesy sunglasses please!)Spider monkeys playing chaseThis past weekend the girls played pirate at Scarborough Faire. As you can see, they had a great time. Pirate costumes courtesy of Aunt Gwendolyn are holding up well. The only problem we have is that the black lace up belt now has about a 4 or 5 inch gap in the middle! If I'd

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-25668286176523394622011-05-08T19:45:00.002-05:002011-05-08T19:51:47.858-05:00

I am a lucky Mama!We had a great day. These pics are from blowing bubbles and playing ball in the yard. In our new grass! Woo hoo! Other than that, we had a feast at Mom & Dad's, partially cooked by me and my brother. Mom made a cake, which we didn't know she was going to do, so I made one too. This one... from Rhonda's blog. YUM! My two cents worth though... don't try to do this with a

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-30734251316150553882011-05-07T17:14:00.004-05:002011-05-07T17:28:12.591-05:00

Woo hoo!! We have grass! And flower bed edging. Now I can begin on the flower beds. Well, actually I already did, but only in a limited way due to the fact that I need about two dump truck loads of compost! I planted the tomato plant and herbs that have been hanging out in pots on the porch.A brief tour of my yard...This is my "vegetable and herb garden". So far, one tomato plant, two sweet

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-32486008565544391192011-04-25T22:04:00.002-05:002011-04-25T22:07:32.615-05:00

Fun on the porch, enjoying the nice weather. What sweet little faces... in between when they are driving me to distraction with one thing or another! lol

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-24609363114984589622011-04-24T14:47:00.003-05:002011-04-24T14:54:56.832-05:00

Little Miss "I Am TOO Cute for Words!"Let the Easter Egg hunting begin...!A few Russia treats!And is this one pitiful, left-out doggie, or what?!Same dog, new strategy. Still unsuccessful...! LOL

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-75048747366838268852011-04-17T20:13:00.002-05:002011-04-17T20:15:12.678-05:00

Eh... so-so. The original is better than this scan, but I don't think this is one of my favorites.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-89174560549229084872011-04-17T20:03:00.003-05:002011-04-17T20:12:09.699-05:00

This should've been posted more than a week ago, but life has been happening! We got away to the beach for a weekend recently and took the TX bluebonnet pics on the way and then some cute shots at the beach too.Despite Annie's somewhat tortured expression, they really liked the bluebonnets. Getting Annie to smile in a photo these days is more than challenging!Abbye, on the other hand, is quite

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-56530787424272656822011-04-04T21:45:00.002-05:002011-04-04T21:47:27.159-05:00

Another weekend gone! And I didn't even make it to post until Monday. Today has definitely been Monday, all day. Flat tire on the way home, after another day in the office where I seriously needed three of me. And now... time for bed!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-49161335201822678562011-03-27T20:36:00.003-05:002011-03-27T20:48:31.581-05:00

I can't believe it's almost time for bed on Sunday, AGAIN. Yesterday was a beautiful day, but not so today! It was cloudy and cold. I cleaned house and did about six loads of laundry. Craziness. The girls played outside yesterday and as usual, were dirty little gremlins by the end of the day. I never got around to taking any pictures this weekend. I did buy six pairs of little girls' shoes

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-63800729142350571522011-03-20T14:48:00.003-05:002011-03-20T15:01:12.176-05:00

Officially, it was Abbye's birthday. But Annie got to share the fun because we hadn't yet had the opportunity to celebrate her birthday with the family.Cupcakes x2 = 48! Oh my... we sent cupcakes home with everybody. And we're still eating cupcakes.Birthday gifts... mostly for Abbye because Annie opened most of hers previously, but we did save a couple for today.The very best gift... bikes x2!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-31704307421980345532011-03-10T21:26:00.003-06:002011-03-10T21:29:18.373-06:00

Thanks to the internet and g@@gle translate, a person in one country who speaks language A can communicate with a person in another country literally half-way around the world who speaks language B. How cool is that?! And of course then there is the whole emailing a photo thing. I do love technology.Now I think I'll go get in bed and read the newspaper on my iPad.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-11795924671767791722011-03-02T20:49:00.001-06:002011-03-02T20:49:42.448-06:00

So, my blog just got a long-overdue makeover. What do you think?

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-47401948905428952172011-03-02T19:50:00.004-06:002011-03-02T20:33:23.787-06:00

I wish I could do this... maybe when my kids are older and I'm not working such a crazy schedule. But I can post a link and maybe someone I know will be able to do it. Please look at this blog and read about the hosting opportunities for Russian orphans for this summer. And if you can't host this year, then re-post, spread the word and help pray for these kids.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-1723304432673014962011-03-01T22:02:00.002-06:002011-03-01T22:03:42.676-06:00

It feels like I have been doing laundry FOREVER. I can't believe we even have anything clean to wear, given how much dirty laundry we have over here. Which might lead some people to the conclusion that we have too many clothes! Nah...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-15040242248645844942011-02-28T21:11:00.006-06:002011-02-28T21:30:58.547-06:00

Showing off the post-parade loot from the day parade. Goofing off, waiting for the parade to start.Definitely all set for the next "crazy hat day" at school!Can you believe this sea fog?! Here is "our krewe" at the night parade.J and AA

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-49505526177431440672011-02-23T20:18:00.005-06:002011-02-23T20:53:49.415-06:00

Oh my goodness, we had THE BEST time on our ski trip this year! We were able to connect with the Justice family again and it was so great to see them and for the girls to spend time together. They act like they've all known each other forever and play so well together.I just uploaded 78 photos from the trip to Flickr, so it will be hard to choose, but let me see if I can manage to narrow it

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-74401070574962565012011-02-22T21:33:00.002-06:002011-02-22T21:36:20.882-06:00

We are just back from our annual Nash-Justice Families Ski Vacation, and we had the most wonderful time! It is late, we spent about 10 hours traveling today and I'm beat. Will post the whole story and lots of pictures in the next day or two, but here's a preview...

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-59680529298894215772011-02-05T13:48:00.003-06:002011-02-05T13:59:42.654-06:00

Look! These snowflakes are so huge you can even see them in the photo! View from the porch.And down the driveway...And back towards the house...Good times had by little girls and dogs alike. :-)And if you're not sure you get the picture... look how hard and fast it was coming down (and this was not the heaviest!) We woke up to about an inch and a half of snow that had fallen overnight.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-66920595150165704672011-02-02T19:21:00.003-06:002011-02-02T19:31:25.004-06:00

You know, if I'd had any clue that I'd really have four days off this week, I would've planned better! Honestly, I never believed we'd be iced in for more than 48 hours. Coldest and worst winter storm in 50 years...?! Oh well, we are warm and cozy, have lots to do and so far I haven't run out of food. In fact, this is exactly what my freezer needed to get cleaned out! Sure wish I had a bag

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-64678042376462112622011-01-30T19:58:00.003-06:002011-01-30T20:08:51.727-06:00

Our friends Ron & Beverly gave the girls this hopscotch rug for Christmas, and the girls were having a ball playing with it out on the porch yesterday. It was an absolutely gorgeous "is this really January?!" kind of day. And we took full advantage of it, enjoying every minute. I decided no laundry, no cleaning... only appreciating the beautiful weather. So I blew the leaves off the porches

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-84060687538256537692011-01-17T20:10:00.000-06:002011-01-17T20:13:16.396-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-65454321850765890782011-01-17T19:54:00.004-06:002011-01-17T20:08:56.180-06:00

...at the Science Museum. The girls had THE BEST TIME! Here are a few highlights...The beginning of the TOUCH EVERYTHING part of the museum!Some pretty cool train tracks.And a 4D movie that was content-wise a little over their heads, but had enough cool special effects that they liked it anyway.Oh my, the highlight of the outing was the kids' grocery store. Life-size toy food, kid-size carts

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-41002107393280795992011-01-15T10:57:00.002-06:002011-01-15T11:01:32.679-06:00

I sure am happy to have this three day weekend!This past week we received Annie's mid-year report card. ALL check plus in every category. INCLUDING behavior... wish her sister would take a lesson from that!The week was crazy because of stuff I had going on at work, which won't interest anyone, so I'll leave you with this from Abbye...This was from the top of one of her school papers last week.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-78478161305000628932011-01-10T19:34:00.004-06:002011-01-10T19:44:54.058-06:00

Reading & Phonics - knows all skills for K, even the ones they haven't had in class yetMath - mastered 4 of 5 skills expected plus about 1/3 of the rest of the list. Still working on writing numbers 1 - 20 (writes some numbers backwards still).Writing - mastered all skills for KListening/Speaking - mastered 2 of 3 K skills (still working on correct subject/verb agreement).Identifies capital

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-59972830806380996162011-01-09T13:05:00.002-06:002011-01-09T13:16:29.957-06:00

Er... "unwired" I mean! At long last, my desktop is now connected to the internet, via wi-fi. It's been a long journey, but FINALLY!So, a bit of catching up. We were on the island for a nice....a small interruption to this post... I'm looking out my window at three deer in the woods about 30 feet from my front porch... So beautiful. Nibbling acorns and totally ignoring the corn feeder we put

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-75915446308115438942010-12-31T20:16:00.000-06:002010-12-31T20:17:28.718-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-78451620849841272862010-12-30T21:27:00.002-06:002010-12-30T21:38:26.218-06:00

Yahoo, we are on vacation! Enjoying some palm trees, the sound of the surf... and even a little sunshine this morning. Too bad it didn't last all day, but we enjoyed the day anyway. Took the girls to the park. We stopped by my watercolor class tonight and that was fantastic to be there. Today was a day for R&R but tomorrow I need to get to making some progress with a little housecleaning and

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-42890952604230868462010-12-28T19:16:00.002-06:002010-12-28T19:18:52.098-06:00

I have internet access! Wireless connect card, so not unlimited, but nevertheless, high speed internet access. And it only took about 90 minutes on the phone with the troubleshooters. Sigh. But it is working. My laptop and my iPad connect. I ran out of steam, but my next project will be connecting the desktop. Later though. :-) I knew you all would be excited to hear my news... lol!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-17042402577936558652010-12-26T18:09:00.002-06:002010-12-26T18:42:39.513-06:00

Today at church, Pastor Stephanie's message came from Hebrews. And Tw!tter. So, you might ask exactly what does the book of Hebrews have in common with Tw!tter? Well, Pastor Stephanie told us, and I'm going to fill you in. Bear with me, because I'm going somewhere with this.So, history. Who is history about? And who gets to write it? It can be argued that history is primarily about the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-51983714912378917882010-12-26T17:06:00.001-06:002010-12-26T17:23:00.269-06:00

And what a Christmas season it was! A few highlights to catch us up...I put it together and piped on the icing, but the girls did all the decorating, including deciding that both reindeer must have Rudolf-red noses! They had a blast decorating this gingerbread house.After showing a disturbing lack of interest about what might be going on under our Christmas tree until CHRISTMAS EVE, they

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-42616055380353883612010-12-17T07:38:00.001-06:002010-12-17T07:40:32.474-06:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-50531857365003331002010-12-17T07:31:00.004-06:002010-12-17T07:33:53.321-06:00

Look what surprise we received in the mail this week! Isn't this beautiful? The girls' aunt Tatiana sent it to them. We are so incredibly lucky to have such a positive connection for them to their Russian family. I really look forward to meeting Aunt Tanya some day.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-47206037524893724802010-12-06T20:54:00.002-06:002010-12-06T21:02:10.514-06:00

Hi Everyone,Yes, I am still here! Just having ongoing internet issues... it seems I live so far out in the boonies that there is no high-speed internet availability. No cable, no telephone company DSL. The radio signal broadband does not reach into the river valley here and because I live in the woods and have a metal roof, satellite is also not an option! It has been quite a process working

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-13745808891705370952010-10-18T20:46:00.002-05:002010-10-18T20:49:21.871-05:00

Moving, new job, construction of new home, moving again, settling in, beginning of new school year and routines... all conspire to make me a bad blogger! Despite my best intentions of getting back into the swing, I just haven't gotten back into a good blogging habit. But here is a new pic at least. And AK's were taken today, so hopefully I will get another post up soon after hers come in, if

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-11699708997251855122010-09-26T11:44:00.002-05:002010-09-26T11:52:03.271-05:00

And we surely had a good time! J and I flew in Thursday night, and Friday we had tickets for the Cubs. Unfortunately the Cubs lost, but you know what a fun time it is in Chicago even in spite of that. After the game we had some classic deep dish at my favorite pizza place and called it a night. Saturday was for a little tour of some of the city sites and then shopping! For two girls who don't

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-6205103722461403522010-09-18T16:12:00.002-05:002010-09-18T16:20:01.147-05:00

Enjoying a rainy day in Galveston... not what we'd originally planned, but pretty wonderful all the same. We were disappointed to miss our September beach day, but... I have to confess I really love those days where rain rolls in off the Gulf of Mexico in waves. Definitely missing that at Farm, TX.Life is settling in pretty well. We are completely moved in to the new house. Still sparsely

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-11819485303654033902010-09-07T18:19:00.002-05:002010-09-07T18:34:49.530-05:00

As is the family custom, we're in Florida for the birthdays. I say that plurally (is that a word?) because there are five of us with the same birthday. I'm sure I've mentioned that before - probably annually on this occasion - and isn't it wonderful?Here is a view of some of our fun...The gang... we missed a few in this photo, I think about 5 that attended were missing in the photo, so as you can

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-61178587403688446042010-08-21T20:32:00.003-05:002010-08-21T20:37:39.245-05:00

And my last post for tonight... I just LOVE my iPad. This has got to be one of the best learning technologies ever invented and I can't wait to see the explosion in software apps that has got to come from this.And BTW, if you're interested and hadn't heard, Muzzy now offers their products in Russian! I had bought the previous version that covered five major languages (the girls have

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-37818113225604200242010-08-21T20:27:00.002-05:002010-08-21T20:32:37.344-05:00

Told you I was catching up. :-)These were taken today... enjoying the last official "summer" beach day... since AA starts school on Monday. Of course, there will be a few more beach weekends to come before the warm weather leaves us...!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-73269206892631337442010-08-21T20:23:00.001-05:002010-08-21T20:26:20.623-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-3030453155868769172010-08-21T20:15:00.002-05:002010-08-21T20:22:26.410-05:00

Appliances!! The kitchen looks way different than even this now though, because I have counter tops now.Abbye's room, including some of the beautiful woodland views...And there are even a few toys to play with now.Annie's bookshelves now have actual shelves (since this photo was taken) AND fairy decals added to the table/chair set and various cute places around the room.This show some of the

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-83661179414372681292010-08-10T21:28:00.002-05:002010-08-10T21:31:54.987-05:00

Hardwood floors going in...And stair rail going up!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-68146697106963371902010-07-31T06:53:00.002-05:002010-07-31T06:59:45.135-05:00

Drat! Another delay.... but only one week this time. The granite is going to take a week longer than originally thought so we are still a week away from moving in. It looks like we should be in shortly before Abbye starts Kindergarten though.We don't have a lot of big news other than the house. Just life as usual. I'm busier at work than I should be this time of year... largely a function of

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-74988690190904108762010-07-16T07:27:00.002-05:002010-07-16T07:36:43.722-05:00

All of yesterday we spent at Palm Beach at Moody Gardens. The girls absolutely love it and they had the best time! This is a great water park... reasonably priced (especially when we lived on the island, because we always had season passes) and appropriate for a wide age range. These photos are from the spray park part, which the girls liked a lot last year but they got bored with it pretty

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-59786837818011242372010-07-14T16:43:00.002-05:002010-07-14T16:49:07.353-05:00

That would be my cheap digital camera and my computer. After I downloaded that initial set of really crappy photos from the beach, my camera and my computer apparently had a major disagreement and have vowed never to speak to each other again. Nothing I can do appears capable of repairing the rift. So alas... no more photos for you on this trip. That stinks.But that does not indicate that we

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-27714591555308288992010-07-13T07:20:00.004-05:002010-07-13T07:22:38.098-05:00

...there just isn't enough time! We have so much planned that I had to start a list to make sure I don't forget something. Since we are partially on vacation, I guess that might be a problem. Oh well. It's all fun. Except for the work part. lol But it is convenient I have work to do in the area because it allows us to be here longer without consuming so much of my vacation time.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-59239142312209900852010-07-12T13:18:00.002-05:002010-07-12T13:21:34.063-05:00

So here we are on the island, enjoying the beach, and once again, I forgot to bring my camera. My strategy was to buy a cheap digital to use this trip and then leave down here for the next time I forget my good camera. Because we all know there will be a next time. Sigh. Anyway... you buy a cheap digital camera... and you get a cheap digital camera and crappy photos. But better than no

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-54047669925369880822010-07-11T08:52:00.001-05:002010-07-11T08:54:50.725-05:00

"If we talk about foreign adoptions, the moral sense, it is absolutely equal rights with the Russian. For children it does not matter where my mother comes. The main thing is to come."Link

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-25088951013728286882010-07-10T18:45:00.004-05:002010-07-10T18:52:07.217-05:00

We're back for a WEEK of vacation. Well, almost. :-) I am doing a little work in the area while we are here... 2 days worth, and that means I only have to take 3 days of vacation for us to spend the whole week here! Life is good.We drove up last night, to gain the extra day today and not have to spend it in the car. Which meant we got to go to the beach this morning! We all had quite a

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-12132587882436492982010-06-27T08:52:00.002-05:002010-06-27T08:59:13.990-05:00

Wow... I can't believe June is almost over. How did that happen?!Things have been very busy and hectic. I have been traveling quite a bit for work and when I'm actually in the office I've been working on some big projects too. This weekend I have been back on the island but packing up now to head back to Farm, TX. I didn't get to bring the girls this trip, but we will all be back in two weeks

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-80005907203454151582010-06-14T16:25:00.002-05:002010-06-14T16:34:06.030-05:00

I'm cautiously very excited... I FINALLY found a rural high-speed internet service. :-) Hopefully I will be connected again when we move into the new house! So for all of you who have given up checking this blog regularly, don't completely give up on us just yet! They tell me we are within about six weeks of moving in.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-49514963151366431882010-05-28T07:20:00.002-05:002010-05-28T07:27:08.142-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-7341009460887861062010-05-25T20:10:00.002-05:002010-05-25T20:20:28.788-05:00

Yesterday the girls had their first ride on a zip line. I didn't think Abbye would do it but she surprised me by insisting on going first! She loved it! I was even more surprised that Annie seemed a little hesitant to try it out, but after she saw how much fun Abbye was having, of course she needed a turn too. Her comments? After first time - "AGAIN!!". After second time - "FASTER!!"

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-28989775376060033132010-05-23T22:01:00.001-05:002010-05-23T22:03:35.672-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-71048092208409156922010-05-18T12:02:00.003-05:002010-05-18T12:09:54.325-05:00

Last weekend we were back on the island for J's community college graduation. She received her AA degree, in preparation for her transfer to the university this fall. Good work, J!And we spent a good part of the weekend at the beach too. Saturday was unfortunately very cloudy (not that the little girls cared) but the big girls were much happier that Sunday was sunshiny!

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-10817432883943803032010-05-09T07:09:00.001-05:002010-05-09T07:12:24.193-05:00

What a sweet surprise! The girls enlisted Grandma's help to send me "mail" last week.

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-75114074396393264012010-05-02T10:21:00.000-05:002010-05-02T10:27:28.392-05:00

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-83631989556600901092010-05-02T09:54:00.004-05:002010-05-02T10:18:32.535-05:00

Prep for foundation. See the wild plum blooming in the woods back there? The woods are covered with them!Foundation pouredFraming the first floor. And look, the trees are starting to leaf out. :-)Prep for second floor, stairs go inWallboard on first floor, framing of second floor beginsHere's our builder! Porches going on now.A room with a view (Abbye's). Actually the windows in this house

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26792018.post-53981312625851363482010-04-28T21:45:00.002-05:002010-04-28T21:51:36.661-05:00

Home, as in back to my blog which I have missed! Still don't have good internet access at home, and anyway have been so busy with work it likely wouldn't have made a huge difference anyway. But it's good to be back.Geographically, I'm in Vancouver BC for a conference. This is the end of a long stretch (too long) of traveling. Almost two weeks. I was in San Antonio most of last week, home

Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714156580889766643noreply@blogger.com0