How Time Does Fly

It is hard for me to believe that this cute little guy...



...has grown up and is married



Yes, my baby brother is now a married man. Julie, his wife is a wonderful girl, I had the privilege of meeting her on Skype. She is sweet and kind and very smart. And a good cook.
They got married on September 15th in Odessa, Ukraine.
I am soooo happy for my not so little brother :)

When I sit down for 45 seconds...

it's usually to do homework with one of the boys. When they are done fighting over who sits on which side of me and gets to hold which hand and Rachael is climbing all over me and is chatting happily (expecting me to keep up with the conversation) Jadin/Daniel starts reading while his brother is talking to me about his day at school. Meanwhile, M is reading a profound theological statement at least 7 sentences long and is expecting an intelligent response. And that's when the dog starts howling....
Flute playing may not seem like such a bad way to vent considering options other people resorted to (like drowning their 5 kids in the bathtub, running away assuming a new identity somewhere in Canada, or becoming an alcoholic).
Just sayin'....

P.S. You have to forgive this post, I came down with a cold yesterday and am still miserable.

A Few Years Ago...

...when Jadin and Daniel were babies/toddlers, they wouldn't really take naps in their beds. They would sleep on me for hours while only taking 30 min. naps if I put them in their beds. I remember how difficult it was for me to sit still for a couple of hours. I couldn't wait for them to get a little bit older and take actual naps in places designated for it. I was looking forward to putting them down and tip toeing quietly out of the room to go do something, clean something, cook something, anything that didn't involve sitting in a chair in the same position for two hours looking at the nearest wall.
When Rachael was born I was determined to teach her to sleep in her bed from day one. We struggled for a week and she was good. She learned. In fact, she turned out to be quite independent. I invite her to come cuddle in my bed at night time and she does, for a short time, and then she firmly tells me she wants in her bed. At nap time she just climbs in there (sometimes reluctantly) and goes right to sleep.
Ah, sweet two hours of freedom.
I was practicing today when she came and said 'Mommy, can you hold me just for a little while. I want 'rock baby' (pointing to her favorite rocking chair). So I put the flute down and rocked my baby to sleep. I breathed in her sweet smell, felt the touch of her still baby-like curls on my cheek, her warm body pressed tightly against my chest, her little arms wrapped around me.
As I was rocking in that chair enjoying the fleeting time of togetherness with my daughter I couldn't help but wonder where I was so in a hurry to all those years ago. I was foolish. People kept telling me that this too shall pass and much faster than I think and that I will miss these moments. I nodded politely and smiled and quietly disagreed.
As I am holding my last baby in my arms knowing that she will rest much better and feel more refreshed if she sleeps in her bed, I am reluctant to put her down. I want to hang on to her just a little longer. I will have time to show off my spotless house to my friends when my nest is empty. There will be time for three course gourmet meals and a glass of wine and a book. But it is not now. Not yet.
Shhh! Let me enjoy my sleeping baby. She will be going off to school way too soon.

I Have Decided...

Being on a jury for a trial that is getting a lot if TV and newspaper coverage, I decided to stop blogging until it's over.

We Are Expecting Company Tonight

What Comes To YOUR Mind?

If you asked me as a young woman in Ukraine what came to mind food wise when I thought of America, I would say tacos, Chinese food, and, oddly enough (or, at least I think it's odd now), these:

(not the fancy kind, just a simple white ice cream in chocolate coating one. For some reason I can't find a picture of it, so this one will have to do)
While I attribute Chinese food to movies and tacos to missionaries, don't ask me where the ice cream bar is coming from.
Interestingly enough neither #1 nor #2 is a truly American invention. Of course, if you have ever been to China or Mexico, you will probably disagree with that statement. LOL.
In 7.5 years of living here I never did get to try the only truly American thing on that list, the ice cream bar. So, when we stopped by Sa.feway on the way from evening service yesterday, I decided to go for it, today being the 4th of July and all.
Let me tell ya, I couldn't wait to get home. I was staring at them longingly on the looong (5 min.) drive home and even forgot my flute in the car in anticipation of the treat (M. jokes that I always bring the flute in before I even unbuckle the kids. For your information, that's not always true. LOL)
When I got my very first bar out of the pack I was immediately disappointed. What looked so big and scrumptious in the picture turned out to be this little skinny thing. Not at all why I expected.
It tasted ok. I am not sure I'll buy it again, the chocolate coating wasn't very good.
Isn't funny how things are usually not what we imagine them to be.

Is It Friday AGAIN?

1. I started a veeery bad tradition - donuts Friday. Once kids discovered what thy are they keep asking for them. I am sure it will not hurt THEM if I get a dozen every once in a while.

2. Someone told me once that if you run 6 miles a day it doesn't matter what you eat you will stay in shape. I am pretty sure it doesn't include THREE bavarian cream filled donuts. Sigh.

3. M. found a Yamaha 400 series silver flute with all the bells and whistles (even split E!) on e-bay for only 1400$. CRAZY! Too bad timing is so absolutely horrible, otherwise I would be really tempted to get it, even though I will never be good enough to fully utilize something that fancy.

4. I finally went to the doctor to have my broken pinky looked at just to find out it's a birth defect and even though physical therapy might help gain some more function, there's nothing they can do to fix it. There goes my life long dream to have it fixed (and 50$ co-pay with it.)

5. It's raining AGAIN! I don't know what's going on with weather, but I hate it! We have only been able to go to the lake once this summer. Our back yard is turning into jungle (too wet to mow).

6. Jadin informed me that it's my birthday tomorrow. The kids are SOOO excited! They have been talking about eating my birthday cake (ooops, I guess it means I should start baking it, they will be so disappointed if there's no cake) and blowing out my candles (plenty of those to go 'round, too. I can't believe I am THAT old!) and getting balloons. It's amusing to see their anticipation and joy. It's been sooo long since I have seen anyone getting so excited about my birthday. LOL.

7. Speaking of birthdays, when I was my kids age my parents would buy me ten (!) ice creams on a stick and let me eat as many as I wanted at a time. It was the tastiest fruity kind that was only available in the summer. Of course, there was also cake and presents and a pretty dress, but my favourite memory is still that of ice cream.


Happy Fourth of July weekend, Friends!