Vacation!

Frequent Traveler Matthew is ready to take to the skies.

We enjoyed having Aunt Barbara and Babushka with us.

Ahh ... nothing like a quick dip in the pool.

Splash! The boys have some favorite pool games, like when Papa throws them up in the air.

One of the best beach days while we were in Hilton Head.

Hey! Let go of my sleeve! This goat got a little too attached to Matthew.

Matthew and Callie, an orphaned baby deer who has a lovely new home at a horse farm. She's incredibly friendly.

Thomas and Snickers hit the trail.

Fall Fun

Matthew in his Cub Scount regalia.

At the Farmington Collaborative Preschool Fall Festival, Thomas and his friends try to eat doughnuts on a string.

Pay attention to the signs at Flamig Farm that tell you not to feed your fingers to the horses. Thomas found out the hard way!

Thomas and Matthew in their cat faces, after the Autumn Festival at church.

The neighbor kids at a pumpkin-carving party. Oops! Tyler fell off his bike!

The Kellys partied at the St. Brigid School Halloween Dance.

Trick or Treat! Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Back to School

Just a quick report that the new school year is off to a GREAT start. Matthew started First Grade on August 31st, and was very happy to get back and see his friends at St. Brigid. He had a good summer at KinderCare, lots of activities, field trips, etc., but by mid-August, it was clear he needed to get back to the structure and challenges of academia. He gets homework every day now (except on Friday), and the expectations of the students are pretty high. We know he's going to have a great year. Thomas, too, had a very good summer at KinderCare. He was quite a hit with the teachers, and provided a steady diet of comic relief. His already charming personality has blossomed even more, lately. As for school, we're changing things up a bit this year. Thomas is enrolled in the full-day program at the Farmington Collaborative Preschool. He just started last week, but already he loves it. It was a very hard decision to change schools. In his new school, though, he is going to get lots of help in special areas to catch up with his friends. The best part is that he is so happy. He gets transportation home, and every day he arrives in the driveway saying "I had an AWESOME day!"Here's Papa and Thomas getting ready to head out in the morning.

Hope all of you reading this have an awesome day, too.

Wiggle Bay

On Saturday, September 5th, we celebrated Thomas' 5th Birthday. We had an awesome party in our backyard -- lots of friends, music, games and goodies. Thomas' favorite music group is The Wiggles, and we cranked up the tunes on the new boom box he got for his birthday.

The kids get ready to find the loot in Captain Feathersword's Treasure Hunt.

One of the littlest party guests, Ashley gets ready to take a swing at the Henry the Octopus pinata (handmade by Miss Julia from KinderCare).

As one neighbor said, it's not a party unless someone gets naked in the pool. As the party neared its end, the guest of honor was found in the "fishing pond", wearing only his Batman underwear.

I'm with the band.

Not sure where the summer went, but tomorrow will be Sept. 1. A few pix from our one getaway to Waterville Valley, NH. We were lucky enough to be there for the Curious George festival!

Work-Life Imbalance

This photo of Boston at night was taken during Mama's recent trip to attend a one-day seminar. Back in the day ... I used to travel quite often for business. This was the first time I had been away over-night, by myself, since Matthew and Thomas joined the family. Actually, they were not very far away, since they rode up with me and had a sleep-over at their cousins' house, about 1/2 hour away.

I'd like to reflect a bit on what went on during my big get-away. I was in the middle of delivering six classes at work, in the course of a week; Papa was out of town on businesss -- again!; Matthew was sick and banned from KinderCare, due to a fever; a tornado ripped through our neighborhood and our power was out for three days; Thomas and Mama got sick, too. And, Michael Jackson died that day.

If I sound like I'm complaining, I am. It's been a rough stretch and Papa is away again. BUT -- I am so thankful to everyone who came to our aid. I put lots of S.O.S. signals out there and nobody said "no". Thank you!!!

M.V.P.

A great big congratulations to Matthew on his Kindergarten graduation this week! He worked very hard this year and did an awesome job. St. Brigid families will all agree that the Kindergarten curriculum is the real deal, and Matthew certainly held his own. Hard to believe that this boy who could barely speak English one year ago, is now reading and writing short sentences. Way to go, Matthew! We are very proud of you.

Here's Matthew at the post-graduation reception with his teacher, Mrs Martinelli (r) and teacher's aide, Ms. Roy (l).

To the St. Brigid School Kindergarten Class of 2009 -- have a great Summer!

Rock Star

He did it! Wednesday was Thomas' last day of Pre-K 3 . There was much anticipation leading up to the ceremony, and Thomas loved being on stage singing and dancing with his friends. When the time came for the diplomas to be handed out, Thomas got overcome with emotion and had a pretty bad meltdown, just off the side of the stage. Mama, Kaitlin and the two teacher's aides talked him down long enough to be able take the walk across the stage and receive his diploma, to thunderous applause. Afterwards, we partied in the cafeteria with the class, and everyone's family and friends. It was a bittersweet day, yet Mama breathed a huge sigh of relief that we got through the school year. Thomas is shown here with his teacher, far right, and her two aides. Thank you, ladies! We love you!

Not wanting to put off getting back into a routine, Thomas started his Summer schedule at KinderCare the day after graduation. He's already making new friends and has enjoyed his first two days. When the teacher introduced him to the class, he greeted everyone by saying "Hello boys and girls. Nice to meet you." That kid ... he's something else!!!!

Matthew will be graduating Kindergarten next Tuesday. He will be joining Thomas at KinderCare, where they have a summer camp for bigger kids. In the meantime, when he's not at school, he's either playing baseball, or talking about it.

Where in the World ...?

I know, I know, it's been a really long time since we've added anything to this blog. The one-year anniversary of our return from Ukraine passed in mid-February, without a lot of fanfare. We just sent off the first report to the Ukrainian Consulate in New York, documenting the boys' progress. They also had their annual physicals last week. They've each grown 4 to 4.5 inches in the past year, and gained about 10 lbs., so that's good. As the growth charts go, they are on the short side, but very solidly built.

Here's Matthew in a couple of pre-game shots. He plays A-ball in our town league. Unlike in T-ball, the kids get pitched to. Matthew is showing really good promise in his baseball skills, and is passionate about the game. His team is even called the Red Sox. It doesn't get any better than that!

Matthew clowning around at our neighbor Connor's birthday party.

Tommy and Papa take a break at the Mystic Aquarium during April vacation. Later that day, these two took a power nap in the hotel room, while Mommy and Matthew swam in the pool. Babushka (aka Grandma) met up with us for dinner. It was a nice getaway, but a short one.

Tonight we watched the boys perform in the Spring Concert at St. Brigid School. They did great and we were very proud. The school year is rapidly coming to a close. Though we will miss seeing all our friends at school, this year has not been without challenges. A good day is when Thomas is merely sent to the principal's office, rather than made to go home. Fortunately, he's managed to charm most of the teachers, administrators and older kids in the school. And, of course, he's so darn cute. One of these days, though, he's going to pick on the wrong kid and learn a very hard lesson. We secretly can't wait for that to happen. In the meantime, we supplement his preschool education with activities and special services that we hope will get him over this hump.

Memory Lane

One year ago this week, this first family photo was taken. Oh, we look so relaxed! Just a couple quick updates from my recent post -- Thomas turned his nose up at the Borsht. He much prefers hot dogs, chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese ... I got my keyboard fixed, so blogging has gotten much easier.

The good news is that we don't need a new refrigerator. The bad news is that Thomas discovered where the controls are and that's why most of the contents of the freezer defrosted. (Stop laughing, Donna.) That'll teach me to stock up on groceries.

Another Momentous Day

It was one year ago today (Jan. 22) that we met our sons. We played for a few minutes, named them in 7 minutes and then headed off to Krasyliv to get permission to adopt and to witness a prolonged argument in Ukrainian. while in Krasyliv we took in the sights, sounds and smells...communist architecture, Lenin, stray dogs, junk cars...good times. We still had no idea that we'd have to bribe , er "bring gifts" a mere 24 hours later.

We celebrated the day by reading the note from Thomas' Pre-K teacher wherein she suggests he may be on the verge of getting bounced...kind of makes you long for Lenin and the stray dogs of Krasyliv.

Everyone had said that children change your lives, but there is no wa we could have imagined how all encompassing that cold be. That said, we can't imagine life without Matthew and Thomas.

From the Archives

One year ago today, our post was titled "Time to Take Off". That's right - one year ago today Chris and I boarded a plane in JFK not knowing what our family would consist of when we returned. As you know, it's been a wild ride.

Except for Thomas, who tends to live for the moment, the rest of us have been thinking about Ukraine a lot lately. It's probably because it was this time of year when we were there and found each other. Although it was stressful in many ways, Chris and I look back on it wistfully now and with great fondness. It was a simpler time, for sure. The days were all pretty much the same. Some might say boring. There was not the hectic pace that we find ourselves back in. We learned a lot and came back changed, and it wasn't just because we became parents. In honor of the event, there is Borsht (beet soup) simmering in the Crock Pot for supper. We highly recommend it, in case you've never tried it.

Matthew is a funny one, when it comes to his feelings for Ukraine. Though he insists he does not remember the language, does not miss any of the people and, in general, does not speak very positively about it, it's obvious that he cares about what happens there. When the energy problems of that region were in the news the past couple of weeks, he prayed that Russia would turn the natural gas back on for Ukraine.

As we approach the anniversary of our return to the U.S., and the Americanization of Matthew and Thomas, I'm sure there will be more to reflect on. Blogging continues to be a challenge, not only because there is no free time anymore, but the little darlings got at my computer and busted a bunch of the keys off. Trying to type is quite an effort!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Today we celebrated Matthew's 6th Birthday. He partied at Timbergyms with about 13 friends. Everyone had a great time. There was pizza, cake, a treasure hunt, a moon bounce, magic show, and lots of space to run around and climb. The kids were all so happy to see each other again after the long Christmas break. Matthew's been planning his party for months. He's very outgoing and loves a crowd. He didn't want to leave anyone out.

Wishing everyone a Happy & Healthy 2009!