Let’s Make Things Look Beautiful….

Hello everyone from still frigid, but now rainy central Jersey. Truly interesting weather patterns we have been having here. Had this week’s rain been snow, we would likely be under a few feet of snow at this point. The weather tried, but could not stand in the way of Victoria’s acting debut this week. Victoria had a speaking role (yes, she had multiple lines) in a school play this week. The theme of the play was related to modes of transportation. In addition to singing as part of the group, Victoria’s lines were in a skit about taking the bus to school. Victoria was practicing her lines for a few weeks now and did fantastic. When it was time for her skit, she showed no signs of nerves (there was a crowd of about 200 people). She stepped up, turned on her microphone and hit her lines right on cue. Her English has been coming along in leaps and bounds recently. For Mom and Dad, this was such a wonderful sight to see…so proud of and amazed by our little girl…

Victoria is showing a lot of positive interest recently in having conversations about Russia (talking about our plane trips, her times celebrating holidays, etc.). So, it was fitting this week that it came up at a doctor’s appointment. Victoria’s Pediatrician is from Russia...in fact, so is everyone in the doctor’s office). So, when one of the doctors mentioned that she was from Russia, Victoria responded “You’re from Russia? Cool!” It was a very cute interaction.

As we have been driving around our area, Victoria has been noticing all of the houses decorated for Christmas. So, she has been wondering when we were going to make our house “look beautiful”. Last weekend, the snow stopped us from picking up our tree, but we would not be denied this week. Picking out our tree and putting up our outside decorations were truly the highlight of the week for Victoria. The cold weather made the outside effort a little tough, but she was absolutely giddy about decorating for Christmas! As we put up the lights outside, she was smiling, jumping around and kept saying she was “so happy!”. Once the tree had time to settle, she was ready to decorate…first the lights, then the ornaments, then she had the honor of putting the angel on top. It’s really difficult to describe her excitement with words. She had fun, we had fun, and now we decorated our tree for the first time as a family…awesome.

Here are some pictures from the week…

All smiles after the play:

With her proud parents:
At the tree farm…she could not stop smiling!
Daddy hanging lights:
Supervising as the lights went up:
Excited that the front of the house looks beautiful:
Smiling from ear to ear as we decorated the tree:
Helping Mommy and Daddy string lights:
“This is fun”…helping to clean up the pine needles:
All decorated…just the angel topper to go:
Up high to put on the angel:

A Whole Week Wrapped Up In One Day….

Hello from frigid and snowy central Jersey. This week, Mother Nature wanted to remind us that it is December and that winter will soon be here. After a day in the 60’s early in the week, the temperature plummeted and we had snow this weekend. It’s hard to believe that the year-end holidays are fast approaching and that 2009 is coming to a close. We clearly remember back to last year at this time…the anticipation of being invited back to Russia so that we could bring our little princess home. What a year this has been!

From Monday to Friday of this week, there was really nothing much going on. However, when Saturday came, that all changed. First thing Saturday morning, Victoria had her second soccer class. She was a pretty good listener and was a lot more adept at stopping/re-routing the ball with her feet (rather than using her hands). When the session ended, Mommy and Daddy could not help but laugh…we noticed that the other kids were all on the floor gasping for air (tired), but Victoria was up and still ready to go (even though she had run as hard if not harder than the other kids). She has nearly endless energy when she is having fun.

After soccer, we had about an hour’s break before we were back out the door to a birthday party for one of Victoria’s classmate/friend. They had the party at the indoor play park that Victoria and Mommy went to a few time this past summer. So, Victoria knew her way around and had an absolute blast! While Mommy and Daddy had a nice time getting to know a few of the other parents, we were so pleased to see how social Victoria was being with the other kids. When they saw her, they were clearly delighted to see her and she was happy to see them. A few parent mentioned that their children had been asking to have play dates with Victoria. So, it’s easy to see just how much more settled Victoria is becoming.

After the party, we switched gears and went to an open house for a business where Mommy knows the owners. The folks there were so happy to see Victoria (some for the first time). While there, Victoria mentioned how much she loved the snow…and a lot of it. Someone asked her where she had seen so much snow. Her response was excellent…”Russia”. Indeed she had seen a lot of snow there. Everyone at the open house was simply amazed at how clear Victoria’s English was after only 8 months. She really seems to have a way of impressing everyone she meets.

After the open house, we grabbed a quick lunch on what, up to this point, was a dreary, rainy day outside. We filled our bellies then headed home, so Victoria could change into her beautiful Christmas dress…because it was time for her to go and visit Santa! Suddenly, the fact that it was not snowing did not matter anymore. Up to her room she went and put on her dress…she looked so beautiful (Mommy even put little barrettes in her hair that said “Victoria”). We put on our jackets and headed for the door. As Daddy picked up the car keys, he noticed something different outside…it was snowing (our first snow since coming home in April). Victoria ran for the window and giggling with delight…seriously, she was downright giddy! How fitting that it started to snow as she headed to see Santa.

In the car and off the see Santa we went. The whole ride, Victoria was singing and laughing. When we arrived at Santa’s New Jersey house, Victoria was ready to go. As walked in the front door, Victoria dropped a few dollars in the Salvation Army bucket and told the woman that she was here to see Santa…this was clearly a little girl on a mission (hahaha)! We walked along, and then there he was! Mommy said “Look there is Santa” and Victoria responded with an excited “Yes, it is!” After a short wait, it was finally her turn to speak with Old Saint Nick…who even greeted her by name (Daddy snuck up first to let him know). She sat for her picture and gave a huge smile. When he asked her if she was good and what she wanted for Christmas, she was ready with her answers. She was beyond happy!!

After that excitement, we were off to one final stop. Victoria’s school was having a bookstore charity event. The bookstore was matching donations to the school equivalent to the price of any books purchased between specific hours at a bookstore. With the snow full on at this point, we headed out from Santa’s house. Thanks to the weather, it took just short of an hour to get there, but Victoria did not mind one bit. She was still glowing from her visit with Santa and she really loves her teachers from school (who were going to be at the bookstore). When we arrived, Victoria caught sight of the school Principal. Victoria ran right up and told him about her visit with Santa, after which she settled down to listen to some stories (a number of the teachers were reading their favorite holiday books to the kids…who loved it, of course). After the stories and picking out our fair share of books, we headed home for a late dinner…then, it was off to bed. What a long, wonderful day it was!!

Here are some pictures from the week…

Ready for her friend’s birthday party:
Enjoying a slide at the party:
Ready for more fun at the party:
Having lunch at the party:
Looking beautiful and ready to see Santa:
In line and ready to see Santa:
Posing with Santa:
Sporting a set of reindeer antlers that Santa gave her:

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Hello again… We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! This was a pretty busy week here on the home-front. Early in the week, we received Victoria’s very first school report card. We were very pleased to see that Little Miss did quite well. The only item of concern was the note that she speaks out of turn at times. Later in the week, we had our first parent-teacher conferences with Victoria’s teachers. We met with three of her teachers and there was definitely a running theme with all three...they absolutely love Victoria! The teachers said that she works very hard and is really progressing with her letters, numbers and socializing. At the conferences we also learned that Victoria’s speaking out of turn is mostly when she is really excited that she knows an answer. So, while it’s something to work on, it is completely understandable for a little girl that is so excited to learn.

On Thursday, we celebrated Victoria’s very first Thanksgiving at her uncle’s house and were joined by her grandparents and cousin. We really have so much to be thankful for and it was great to spend the day with family. Victoria really had a blast playing/hanging out with everyone, trying turkey for the first time (her uncle always cooks a great meal), and digging into yummy desserts! Victoria even enjoyed watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (her favorite balloons/floats were Mickey Mouse, Pikachu, Snoopy, Sesame Street and Spiderman).
After the big meal on Thanksgiving, we all got a good night of sleep ahead of the long weekend home from school. Victoria needed the rest, because she started playing soccer over the weekend. She had been looking forward to starting for a while now. The session this weekend taught the kids ball control, passing and shooting skills. Victoria took right to it and showed off her blazing speed!

This weekend, Victoria also sat down and wrote her very first letter to Santa…definitely an exciting first for any kid! She did a pretty good job sounding out and spelling her words. She even drew a nice picture on the back for Santa. Once the letter was complete, we prepped it for mailing and Victoria put it in the mailbox. We’ll have to see if old Saint Nick sends something back…only time will tell! Mommy and Daddy have a good word in with the big guy, so we’re confident that he’ll respond…and won’t Little Miss be ecstatic!

Here are some pictures from the week…

Hanging with her cousin on Thanksgiving…one of the few times they sat still long enough for a picture (hahaha):

A nice pose with her grandparents:
Enjoying dessert with her uncle (godfather):
Having a blast at her first soccer practice:
Writing her letter to Santa:
A picture for Santa on the back of his letter, including a turkey and an elf:
In the mailbox and off to the North Pole it goes!
Doing homework with Mommy:

Looking Forward to Thanksgiving…

Hello everyone! This was a pretty quiet week on the home front. Victoria is doing well and is really looking forward to Thanksgiving. For one, she is looking forward to trying a real turkey dinner for the first time (apparently the kids have been talking in school about how good it is...so, she is looking forward to it). Also, she is looking forward to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. She loves balloons (although she could not possibly imagine how big these floats will be) and can’t wait to see Santa on the final float.

Well, we wanted to take this chance to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for, most importantly our family and friends. Have a great holiday!

Here are some pictures from the week…

Ready to go to church:

Enjoying a ride (and some learning) on her Smart Cycle:

Back to School…

School was back in session this week and Victoria was ecstatic to be back, seeing her classmates and teachers. She is really doing excellent with school. Her English is progressing incredibly, she is becoming more conversational and is still such a curious little girl. Some of this week’s questions revolved around why the moon is different sizes at times, how pickles are made and when is Santa’s birthday. Fitting then that Victoria had a blast riding her Smart Cycle this week…one of her birthday presents which combines physical activity (riding a bike) with learning games (numbers, letters, etc.).

Victoria, Mommy and Daddy went to get our first official family portraits done this week. The photographer was great and absolutely adored Victoria! Victoria was excellent all day (even though our session was delayed by a ½ hour). She was so good, in fact, that we decided to take her to the Build-a-Bear store as a treat. Victoria picked out a cute, beige bear and decided that he should be dressed in a Yankees uniform. When she was had to choose a name for the bear’s birth certificate (yup, they get those), she chose “Jeter”…a very fitting name! On the way out of the mall, we sighted where they have Santa’s chair set up. Victoria’s eyes lit up with excitement because she cannot wait to talk with Santa. Soon enough sweetie…soon enough…

Here are some pictures from the week…

Victoria showing off Jeter:


“Fore”…enjoying a round of golf around the house:

A Week Without School…

Hello everyone! This was a pretty quiet week on the home front. Our school district had ‘in-service’ all week, so Victoria got to spend each day this week at the after school program (a full day of playing and other activities). One would think that she would have been very happy about this. Before school started, she definitely would have loved this. As it turned out, she was not so crazy about it. We asked her why and she said that would prefer to be in her classroom. Can you believe that…Victoria has gone from wanting to play all day to actually wanting to be in school! Amazing…and we are very happy to hear it.

On Friday morning, Victoria lost her 5th tooth. As we were eating breakfast, she said that her tooth was loose and that she wanted to pull it out. So, there it went and she was excited about Tooth Fairy visiting yet again! While we were at the mall over the weekend, Victoria saw a winter wonderland being set up. She asked Mommy what it was for and was ecstatic when Mommy told her that it was where Santa goes when he visits, so he can talk to children. Of course, this peaked Victoria’s interest and she very much wanted to know when he was coming, so she could talk to him. We told her that we would take her to see him when he visits, but that would be some time from now. She seemed to forget that Santa would not be here for a while…when we were driving home from the mall, Victoria gasped and told Mommy that we missed visiting Santa at the mall…it was really very cute and funny!

Victoria was very animated with stories this week about Russia. Interestingly, she told us about how she had been bitten by a dog (which we knew). It turns out that she was trying to feed it by hand, which was much different than we had originally thought. She also told us about a time that she pretended to be Santa with the other kids in her group at the orphanage. She said that they all got a kick out of her putting “toys” in a wrapped up blanket and throwing it over her shoulder to hand out gifts to the other kids. Of course, she admits that she could not completely pull off the outfit, because she does not have a mustache! Hahahaha…

Here are some pictures from the week…

Showing off her gifts from the Tooth Fairy:

Excited about baseball and a happy Yankee fan!
Just looking adorable:
Out for a Sunday ride:

Happy Birthday, Princess!!

Hello! What a week Victoria had as we celebrated her birthday! The night before her birthday, Victoria lost her 4th tooth. The tooth came out quite easy, so it did not put a dent in how absolutely excited she was about her big day! She was so excited about the day and woke up in a terrific mood (all smiles). Mommy brought cupcakes to school for Victoria to share with her classmates. She was beaming at the thought of everyone in her class (her new friends) singing Happy Birthday to her. After school, Victoria’s grandparents, uncle and cousin (along with Mommy and Daddy) were at the bus stop waiting to greet Victoria. We wanted to visit to be a surprise, so we did not tell her ahead of time. Her cousin caught her eye first and she was yelled his name with excitement. We had saved the top tier of the cake from Victoria’s birthday party for her actual birthday. So, after dinner, we lit the candles and sang her Happy Birthday (it seems that she enjoys it more each time she hears it...hahaha.).

If you remember a few weeks back, we made a birthday card for Victoria and sent it in to her favorite TV station (they have a Happy Birthday show, where they show a select number of cards and send out birthday wishes to kids). Victoria had been so excited making the card and wanted very much to see her card on the show. Of course, we knew that there was a somewhat limited possibility that it would make it on the show (considering the large number of cards they are sure to receive). Much to our delight and surprise, it made it on the show (it was the first one of the day). The look on her face was priceless as she officially became a TV star!

The day after Victoria’s birthday, they had a Halloween parade at her school. All of the kids in the school dressed up in their costumes and got to walk around the outside of the school twice for parents/family to see. For the school parade, Victoria was a beautiful princess dressed up as Sleeping Beauty.

On Halloween, Victoria’s grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin joined us for some Trick or Treating (it was her cousin’s first Halloween too). Victoria dressed up in her cat costume and we headed out despite the fact that the weather was not fully cooperating at first (rainy). Fortunately, it settled down and Victoria seemed to have a better time as the weather improved. While we were out, Victoria saw some friends from school. It was really nice watching how much fun they all had talking to one another (mostly about their take in the candy department). It’s great to see how much more social she is getting. After the week that was, we had a nice relaxing day at home on Sunday. It was a fitting end to an exciting week!

Here are some pictures from the week…

Wearing red for Red Ribbon Week and a necklace from her Great-Grandparents:
“How old are you today?
Off the school bus and ready for fun:
Ready to blow out her candles:
Celebrating her birthday with her Grandparents:
Reading a birthday card with Daddy:
The beautiful princess!
With her cousin as they prepare to put on their Halloween costumes:
Costumes on…Ready to go…
Out Trick or Treating: