Our lil' Traveling Troopers

I just thought I would let everyone know that the kids are doing great with the traveling. Everyone thought we were nuts to take TWO 10 month olds (who are now 11 months and quickly approaching 1 yr) on the road. They are great lil travelers and are just adapting to anything we throw their way. We had a long travel day on Mother's Day and they were letting us know for the last 30 minutes of the drive that they were done! We were to after parking in Wal-Mart at 6:30pm for the night. Here are some pixs of the kids traveling and of course, our fur baby. We couldn't forget him. He likes to sunbathe so I let him sit in my seat for awhile.

Beach Babes

We took the kids to the beach and Brooke really loved it. Kyle, he just wanted to eat every handful of sand he could get his hands on. Brooke would sit on the beach and let the waves come on to her lap. She would kick her legs, laugh and smile the entire time. Kyle didn't really like the water although he likes his bath and loves to splash around. Here are some photos:







The beach at one point was rather comical. Liz and I attempted to put up this sun shade which is half of a tent. We got the poles through it and it wanted to take off like a kite. I had already told the old guy next to us it was going to be entertainment to watch this. Kyle and Brooke at this point are on a towel which is on the sand. We have Hunter help us by standing on one of the ends. Liz looks over and there is Kyle with a HUGE handful of sand that he is stuffing in his mouth. Good god! It's a lot of work to take 2 11 month olds to the beach. The old guy finally gets up to help us and Liz takes Kyle to the shower to get his mouth cleaned out. The sunshade finally goes up and we are in business. We probably looked like a bunch of blondes being blondes!! Good thing Liz is a brunette. Oh well, it was a lot of work but it was fun to see them at the beach.

From the "Brooke look" to Now

I just had to post these pictures on Brooke. When we first got her, she had this scowl on her face. Some of you might remember me posting about the "Orenburg Scowl." She literally had a crease in her forhead from doing this so much. Well, I am happy to report that she is not frowning anymore and is full of smiles, especially when she is in the water. We used to tease her saying that she was going to need baby botox to get rid of those lines. I am happy to report that she is becoming a very happy baby and has a wonderfuly smile as you can see below.

My 1st Mother's Day

It's official. I have now had my very own Mother's Day. All those years wondering if it was ever going to happen. It was a very nice day. Steve and the kids got me a charm bracelet and some very nice cards. The Monahan's got me some flowers and some lotion/soap. I can't say that I put my feet up and relaxex. When you have 2 the same age running around, I don't know how that would happen!!! I did however look back on the photos of our 2nd trip to Moscow. When I look at those photos, I can really see the changes occuring in the kids and how much Brooke doesn't look like a baby anymore. Their hair is growing longer and filling in a lot more....it's just amazing how much they are changing. Seems like forever ago that we brought them home. I did have a thought today on the women who gave these children up. I sat here and looked at both of them and thought how lucky I was to have them but how sad for the women who gave them up. I don't know what made me think of that but I did. I truly believe that these particular children were meant for me. That was the bigger plan.

The day was spent with family and friends and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way well maybe to have had MY family here and do the traditional Anthony's Homeport Mother's Day brunch. Who wants to do that with 2 11 month olds????!!!!

Home almost 1 month

As of this Wednesday, we will have been home 1 month. I can't believe it! This month has just flown by. The kids are just doing great! They are getting a little more clingy which to some might be a bad thing but this is a good thing for us. It just means they are attaching to us. My parents were down for 2 weeks and that was a really great thing. The kids were able to get to know them and it only took a few days for them to really let loose and feel comfortable.
The 2 weeks just flew by and it was time for them to leave. Poor dad got sick at the end of the trip. We'll admit to the cold but not to the flu! It was hard to see them leave. It sucks to have 2 new little ones and have them so far away.

We also went to see a specialist out in Long Beach who told us we were doing good. Kyle has put on over 2 lbs so far and Brooke is at about a little over 1 lb. Kyle is now crawling on both his hands and knees and Brooke is just a mover and a shaker and is all over the place. She now likes the bath tub a bit more and doesn't cry. She is starting to play in there which is nice. They are both just coming leaps and bounds and it is so nice to be able to see it all.

These are a few photos that we have taken at bath time. We must have hundreds of pictures of the kids so far. Thank god for digital cameras!!
Lastly, here is a picture of our little diva in training:

Easter Bunny Picture

I just had to post this picture of the kids with the Easter Bunny. We raced out of the house with my parents in tow and headed to the mall. Luckily it's only 5 minutes from the house. I put them in the double stroller and we head to where the bunny is. We walked right up into the line. YEAH! The kids weren't afraid and Brooke was actually curious about the bunny when we were done and tried to grab his face. We raced home and put them in bed for their nap. I was really surprised that all went so well and we got Brooke to smile. Kyle can smile HUGE but I don't know why he chose then not to. Oh well. It's like hearding turtles!


Things are still going really well. Some days I feel like a mom and others I still feel like the babysitter. Everything was all worth it though and I am so glad the kids are home with us.

Happy 1st Easter!

Well, it has been a little over a week since we have been home now and we are celebrating our first Easter. Grandma and Grandpa are here with us and we decorated Easter Eggs last night. Us adults did most of the work. It was still fun. Grandma, I mean the Easter Bunny, hid baskets and Daddy and I helped the kids find them this morning. They were very fascinated with the crinkle paper. Brooke got a princess basket and Kyle got a fire engine basket. How appropriate.

This past Friday, we went to Victoria Gardens to visit the Easter Bunny. The kids did really well and no one cried. We even got Brooke to crack a smile. I went crazy and purchased the family package but forgot to get the images on a CD. I will have to go and make a copy so I can post it here.


Until then, these are some photos of the kids with some of the bunnies they have gotten this Easter. Thank you to everyone who has brought them by. We have bunnies galore now.

Not much else is new. We're getting on a schedule and it seems to be working out quite great. Grandma and Grandpa have been a huge help. Grandma is helping in the kitchen and around the house and Grandpa is helping with projects around the house. Steve went back to work last week and was gone Wednesday night until Saturday morning. I thought I would be a bit more freaked out by myself but I was on "the schedule" and it went fine. I felt like I was constantly running around though. My girlfriend just said, "Welcome to Motherhood!"

We did just have a milestone though. Kyle slept until 7:30am this morning. Happy Easter Mommy! I started feeding him rice cereal AND a bottle at bedtime and that seems to help. Brooke will still have nothing to do with a spoon. I tried to give her oatmeal one morning and sort of forced it in her mouth. Yah, well, she blew it right out and all over me. Guess I sort of had that one coming. I'll keep trying. Kyle is catching up more and more every day. He can now sit on hit own for quite some time. He can't put himself in that position but once there, does just fine. He balanced and will catch himself if he starts to tip over. He is also learning to pull himself toward all sorts of objects. Their favorite toy are these light up ducks they got from Robi. I need to get more. Kyle will crawl a long way to get toward them.



So that is it for now. Life is just rolling on with our 2 new little ones. They are adjusting just great and Brooke is smiling and giggling a lot more and that is nice to see. She will crawl toward me and put her arms up meaning she wants me to pick her up. That just warms my heart. She has come a long way since the day we took her from the orphanage and she was afraid of us that night. She is now giggling and laughing with Grandma and Grandpa too. Life is good and for those of you who haven't met them yet, I can't wait for you to meet them!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this Easter.