Kittens!

After riding the horses yesterday, we got to play with new little kittens!


The girls don't really enjoy petting the horses, but kittens!  They were all about petting the kittens!

Although sweet Rubes was a bit more "Hug-him-and-love-him-and-name-him-George" than loving to the poor kitties.  Don't worry, she was well supervised!

Riding Horses, Take 2

Yesterday afternoon, we headed out to see the horses again!

As soon as we got there, Ruby got out her helmet and asked me to put it on.  She was READY!

She got back on the horse, no problem.


The real wild card was Lilya -- we had no idea what to expect from her this time!

She did AMAZING!

She got on to the horse, no problem -- and only had a small moment of concern when she realized Lisa wasn't getting on behind her.

In the above picture, she's patting the horse for "Walk on" which is how they teach them to tell the horses to go.

Lil finished up a few minutes before Ruby, we could tell she was tiring and she signed/said, "Done!" to Lisa.  It's a big workout for Lil -- she doesn't have a lot of core strength (although it's much better than it was a year ago) and she was working hard to stay seated on her horse!

Lil, signing horse while riding a horse!

After a lap around the arena, Lil was waving at me with both hands!

One more shot of Rubes

The girls had a blast.  It's going to be a looong 2 weeks until our next visit (no riding next week, due to the holiday).  

A girl and her cat

The other morning at breakfast, Lilya looked at me and signed "Horse."

I think she's ready to go back -- and today is the day!  Ruby & Lil will be riding the horses this afternoon, and I'm curious to see how long it takes Lil to warm up this time.


In the meantime, the girls have been entertaining themselves with the cat.  The INSIDE cat, which Ruby insists on taking outside, many many times a day.


Lil is more content to visit the cat through the screen when she's outside.

I guess the cat just wasn't in the mood for a kiss!

Lil's first parade

We went to this parade (the Darboy Chickenfest parade, if you're local) last year while I was home between trips to Ukraine.

This past Saturday, we got to bring our little Ukrainian with us!


Ruby was loving the shady wagon, but Lil wanted to be out, dancing!

The giant shopping cart is always a favorite ...

but it can get a little loud!

Lil was also loving the candy.  Oh, the candy!
This lollipop would've lasted the rest of the summer the dainty way Lil ate it ... but it eventually got dirty so we had to toss it.  Don't worry -- we still have a huge pile of candy on the counter!

Horses!!

Last week Ru & Lil started horseback riding.  It's a place that does equine therapy for kids.

The pictures were taken inside their arena, and turned out horrible, but you can still see how cute the girls are and how awesome they did, so I'm blogging them anyway!

We'll be going once a week this summer, and it was wonderful that they were able to schedule the girls at the same time (they need a lot of volunteers to help, to do that).  They girls have a helper on each side of them, and one to lead the horse - so at least 3 adults per girl.



Ruby was ready to roll, no problem! 

She got right on the horse, like she's been doing this forever.

Lil needed a little more coaxing, and a lot more comfort.

She's still quite hesitant with new, unfamiliar animals -- and this was the very first time she saw a horse up close!

Ruby's got this all figured out -- she's watching Lilya here.

Lil was so nervous, Lisa decided to get on the horse with her.  

Lil went from this:

To this:

in about 5 minutes of walking around.  No lie!  I was AMAZED how quickly she settled and started enjoying herself.  

Now, if Lisa moved her hands Lilya would grab them & put them back on her, but she was waving & laughing as they walked around.


And of course -- can't forget:

their biggest cheerleader!

Oct 1st

Our local DS group is having their 2nd annual Down Syndrome Awarness Walk on Oct 1, 2011!

Put it on your calendar -- come & join us!

(click to enlarge!)

Buckets of Fun

Ruby & Elijah

Should I just sell the beds already?

I can't keep Ruby & Lil in their beds at night -- they always, always wake up on the floor.  They are in toddler beds, which are (fortunately) low to the ground.  But at what point do I just give in and throw mattresses on the ground?  Any suggestions for keeping them in their beds at night?  They usually fall asleep in their beds ... but they never stay there very long.


And Braden has recently decided it's so much more fun to sleep in a sleeping bag on his floor.


Good grief -- why do we have furniture!?

But do they have wi-fi?

This past weekend, Braden discovered Google chat.  He's chatting me smiley icons, many many smiley icons.  I just asked him where he was, and he said, "The game closet."

He is in the basement, in the closet under the stairs, on a mini-laptop.


And everywhere we went today, Braden asked me, "Will they have Wi-fi? Will they have wi-fi at summer school?"

It doesn't matter.

"How about at Kreative Kids?"

Braden, it doesn't matter, you're not bringing a computer!

We did bring along his computer for the girls speech class, but they do NOT have Wi-fi at speech.  Good thing they have a ballpit and slides and other fun stuff.

Dear Ruby,

Those are Daddy's socks.

Boys

Our houseguests left today ... and Braden was quite upset. He had a blast with his new friend, Isaac. He said, "Are we going to see them again, this YEAR?" I assured him we'd make that happen.


Isaac got a new haircut recently -- so here's the boys, with their fun haircuts

Isaac talked Braden into trying watermelon!  

As a rule, Braden does NOT eat fruit.
Now?  He really likes watermelon!  He's eaten a few times!

And he's picked up a new hobby -- 

Sarah taught him to crochet.

How cool is that?!  Two 7-year-old boys, sitting still, to crochet!  Isaac is really good, and Braden is very interested.  I hope he keeps it up :)

I told Sarah to tell her mom we'd like joint custody ... maybe take the kids every other weekend or so?  It was definitely fun having them here!

Oksana

Since May, Oksana's grant has grown by over $1500!  I'm so excited!  She has over $6200 towards her adoption ... I hope a family will come forward for her, before she's stuck in an institution for the rest of her life.


The winner of the Kindle was chosen by random generator last night, and I already sent them an email.   The winner was:  Zohreh R

(so ... sorry, Mom! you didn't win this time)

Thank you to everyone who donated and made my birthday so much fun!!

Please -- spread the word about Reece's Rainbow and especially Oksana.  I'd really love to see her find a family!

Today is June 13!

So you have until Midnight to donate in my Kindle giveaway for Oksana!!

Faux-hawk

What did you do this weekend?


Braden got a faux-hawk ...



and he's pretty pleased with himself!

Don't forget about Oksana!

Since May, Oksana has received over $1400 in donations in the 5/5/5 warrior program -- and she now has $6159 in grant funds.  That's about one-sixth of the total her family would need, to complete her adoption.  

Please read here and donate to my Kindle giveaway!

She's almost six -- and instead of preparing for kindergarten, she's facing transfer to an institution.  

Please help change her fate...  please help her find her family, instead of an institution.  

Spread the word -- I'm sure someone out there needs to add this sweet little girl to their family!

Our Family is Growing!

Or maybe I should say our family has grown?

I'd worry about my mom panicking over that title ... but she was here when our guests appeared this morning, so I hope she didn't just pass out reading this!

Our friends are returning to Eastern Europe to adopt again ... Yup, they are adopting AGAIN!  They brought home the sweetest little guy, Elijah, just this past December.

You can read more on their blog:  http://www.mygodislord.blogspot.com/


BUT, if my blogging is sporadic the next couple weeks, it's because we have THREE additional children in the house!  Brian says I have to blog, though, so their parents know how they're doing ... I guess I could always just email them, too?


Elijah & Lilya -- they're from the same country!

Elijah brought his big brother and his oldest sister along with him ... Isaac is Braden's age, and they've played Star Wars All.Day.Long.

They were probably playing Star Wars in the sprinkler!

Isaac on the move...

and Braden on the go -- they really got along very well!

Elijah's oldest sister, Sarah ... well, I might just keep her.  She's very helpful -- and the girls already absolutely adore her!  This was Brian's concern all along ... that I won't want to give Sarah back ;)

We hope their parents have a safe trip over -- and we can't wait to follow along their journey of adopting Jonathan!  They're hoping to get him home before his first birthday in July -- he's a really little guy!

My Birthday Morning

Saturday morning my mom called me to see if her gift to me had arrived.  Nope, not yet.

Sunday morning, my birthday, she called me again -- she talked to the shipping place, and they said they left it on the porch.  Would I go check, see if it was there?

Sure, it's possible that I missed it ... so I went outside and found my mom & my step-dad standing in my driveway, holding a birthday cake!

They drove up from Florida -- 1400 miles -- to surprise us (me & the kids -- Brian knew they were coming)!

I don't think I've ever been so surprised!!!

Summer Fun

It's finally feeling like summer around here!

The sun came out, and it's warm enough to play in water in the backyard.

Lil had a blast!

So did Ru!

And big brother led the way!

Critters

I guess we fenced the rabbits IN ...

Lilya, dancing with her shadow

I'm so thrilled -- already $109 in donations for Oksana! Please don't forget about my birthday wish -- and your chance to win a Kindle!

_________________________________________________________


Forgive the graininess of this video, I was on the other side of the screen door... but you can tell yourself I'm going for a retro look ;)




Every day I tell Brian how much I love our fence. Like the morning I took this video -- Lil got up early, ate breakfast with Brian. Later on, Ruby was eating, and yet Lil could go outside to play on her own.

It's changed our lives -- I can truly treat them like the 4- and 6-year-old they are, and let them play outside without keeping them in arms reach.

My Birthday Wish

My birthday is almost here!  I really want a Kindle -- and guess what?! I got one -- for Oksana!

You remember Oksana, right? She's the little girl I'm helping raise funds for ... and hopefully we'll find her a family along the way.  She's nearing 6, which is an age when she'll likely be transferred to an institution, simply because she has Down syndrome, and her society has no place for her.

So, I am so excited that I have a Kindle to GIVE AWAY!

Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite (color), 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology $139.00 value

• All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – 50% better contrast with latest E Ink Pearl technology
• Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
• New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
• New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area
• 17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
• Battery Life of Up to One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
• Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
• Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
• 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
• Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
• WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)

Think about this -- would you send me a birthday card?  Take me out for a birthday lunch?  Well, this year -- instead of cards or treats -- please donate to Oksana.  Just $5.00 will get you entered to win!

TO ENTER:  

Donate to Oksana online, or send a check to Reece's Rainbow (or to me, and I'll enter for you).

$5.00  - 1 entry

$10.00 - 3 entries

$25.00 - 10 entries

$37.00 - 20 entries 

(I know that's illogical math, but since I'll be 37 ... well, I thought it would be fun!!)

Donate between now and June 13th to be entered -- I'll announce the winner on June 15!

Also, if you spread the word on your blog or FB, leave me a comment and I'll give you an extra entry for each! 


Please let me know if you have any questions or need help entering!

And if you already have a Kindle (Mom), you can still enter -- and then you'll have a great birthday present for me if you win ;)

.

Lil's First *Official* Haircut

Lil's hair has been getting so long & kind of scraggly lately.  The other day she wore it down, and got some heat rash on the back of her neck.

So, it was time for her first real, official, haircut!  Since she's been home, I've only trimmed her bangs.


We even got the certificate for first hair cuts!

Lil was very good!  She sat really well.

Modeling her new haircut last night in her jammies

You can't see it very well, but she's got a cute little braid on top, too.