Let it Snow

With the wintery weather today, a planned visit by the boys' cousins, the Magi family, had to be postponed. We were all very disappointed. We returned, instead, to our typical routine of eat, play, clean up, repeat. There were a couple of melt-downs during the day, but the boys did take naps, which provided a nice breather for the original members of the household. Thomas was the subject of an intervention regarding potty vs. pull-ups, and we are hopeful that he will be able to make some progress in that area.

We all got bundled up and headed out to the yard to play in the snow and get some fresh air. Afternoons seem to be the time when we all start pushing each others buttons, so the change of scene did us all a lot of good. Coming in to cookies and cocoa was a treat, too.

We've mentioned the language barrier a number of times. Although it's difficult, we do our best with a combination of verbal and sign languages, and a few of our own made-up words. For example, "apple" is "yablaka" (sp?) in Ukrainian, so we've taken to calling them "yapples". In addition, we are on a mission to find programs for the boys to enroll in (Pre-K, nursery school) that will provide them with socialization and exposure to English-speaking peers.

I jumped at the opportunity tonight to go out and shovel the front and back walks and deck. It was the first "me" time I've had since getting home last Saturday. We are coming up on one week being home together. As you know, it's been a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. It will be interesting to see how things are looking a week from now. Thanks again SO much for the support, prayers and advice. Please stay tuned.