Communication

Keith has been talking more lately. It's a miracle to see his mind open up as he grasps that he can communicate with us. Today he did the sign for cold, hot, happy, and yes. Whenever I say it's time to eat - Keith is at his highchair within a minute all ready for food. He has been speaking actual words which is wondrous to hear. He is saying hi, bye, mama, love mama, i love mama, love daddy, daddy, kristina, anna, keithy, cold, hot, happy, yes, no, & all gone.

Also, I think he's gained about 20 pounds or something. Seriously, this kid is a tank now! His thighs are chunking up - something I didn't know was possible for him - and his tummy is big.

My recent post about Kristina saying "all gone" instead of "all done" was not defiance, rather, she thought she was saying what I was saying. In her mind "all gone" is the same as "all done." Cute. Kristina has gained a little weight, but I am thinking that she will be tiny forever. She barely eats at meals unless we really REALLY insist on it or feed her ourselves. She will, however, eat a bunch of bananas without any hesitation whatsoever.

Conversation with Kristina

The following occured after Kristina was finished sitting at the table and wanted to get down:

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All done."

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All done."

Kristina: "All gone!"

Me: "All DONE."

Kristina: "All GONE!"

Me: "All gone, I mean, ALL DONE!"

AUGH!!!!!!!!!!

One, Two, Three, GO!

Check out this action from Keith!

Anna & Kristina like to run relays back and forth down the hallway. We begin this relay by stating the title of this post before the girls take off running. Keith began running his own relays and you can hear him saying his version of the title as well. So cute!

Birthday girl!

Kristina turned 5 years old today! We are so happy that she is a member of our family! Since we celebrated her birthday with Keith a couple of weeks ago, today was just a small family party. Here are some pictures of her eating her dinner tonight:

Kristina usually doesn't eat much protein at all - but she LOVED these chicken kabobs that we grilled tonight. LOVED THEM! (She ate TWO!) We also had fried rice, jello with pears, watermelon, and ebelskivers for dessert. YUM!

There are so many things that I love about Kristina! I will name a few today: she is very empathetic, always running up to anyone who is upset or crying with a desire to help them. She forgives easily. She always has a smile on her face. She loves to give hugs and kisses. She loves Larry Boy from VeggieTales. She loves electronic toys that play music and say numbers and letters. Her favorite foods: watermelon, bananas, macaroni and cheese, peas, milk, & just about anything I serve her! She is easy to please! I love my little Kristina Louise!

No words can describe this

Say CHEESE

Here are some pictures I took recently. It does my heart good to see these beautiful smiles from my kiddos! I never tire of their happy and fun personalities!


Ready for lunch.


Waiting for the bus.



Lately I've been pondering over the way that people respond and treat Keith & Kristina. I notice how people give them special attention and want to watch them and see how they have progressed since we brought them home last November. As I pondered this, I realized how wonderful it is to have so many people who care and love these children and who pay them so much attention - because while they were in Ukraine, they received none of those things. It brings tears to my eyes as I think about how lonely they must have been for their first 4 years of life and then more tears come when I think about how much love and attention they now have. It is a blessing just to be a part of their lives. I am so grateful to be their Mama.

Backyard fun

We LOVE our backyard! This swingset is always a big hit with the kids, especially for gymnastics fun!


Kristina never fails to give a BIG smile when I have the camera out!

For the twin's birthday, we got them a sandbox. Keith can (and does) spend HOURS playing in it.

Happy outdoor fun!

Guess who's eating his own dinner?

Keith has made some big steps this past week. He is now feeding himself with very little help AND he has taken a few steps without his walker or our help. It's all very exciting!

Having fun

Here is a video that Tyler took recently of Keith. He has this funny shaking-back-and-forth-thing that he does when he wants to play. It's so cute! The video is a couple of minutes long, just fyi. Towards the end you can hear Keith talk some - he's coming along so well! Enjoy!