YAY Alaska Airlines

HI-

Here are some cute pics of the kids (the extreme close up of Ana is a bit crazy but Sasha is at a better angle/distance) at a Halloween party this weekend. Sasha (a pirate if you are wondering about the bandana) was not 100% sure about the bouncy house- while Ana was willing to bounce and jump all around the place he was content to hang on to the side for dear life and just very very gently bounce up and down, as long as we were right there- Aaron inside and me outside. This is funny because at home he is daredevil Sasha the destructor - willing to do anything, no matter how risky. I think it was the other kids- he was scared- some of them were much bigger. How cute are they though- Ana is a butterfly but it is hard to tell because it was so cold she put a big sweater over her outfit at the last minute.

In other news...

How often do you see someone saying an airline did a good thing? Rarely these days, yes? Well, I am so psyched with Alaska Airlines at the moment. If you recall we had a ticketing issue- Sasha's name is wrong on all of his US docs- his COC, his passport etc. So it did not match the spelling on his ticket for our upcoming vacation to Mexico.

Yesterday, I finally went down to the airport with his passport, a picture of my adorable children, and my sad sad story of government gone wrong, ineffective clerks who cant spell, my desire to show my little Siberian babies the Caribbean, the family nature of our vacation- I am telling you - my halo was shining bright and I laid it on THICK for this lady at Alaska. I was super scared they were going to cancel his ticket and then charge me full price for a new one- as others have experienced with similar problems.

Well, she got on the phone and after several conversations with supervisors where she repeatedly mentioned the fact that he was only 2, that he was a "little orphan boy" etc they finally changed the ticket - for free. Now I wasnt totally sold on how this all went down- as I am not sure I like trotting out our kids past to all and sundry but it truly is a product of the dumb government etc that his papers are all wrong. And it meant we werent charged $800 which helps too.

So, I am glad Alaska had a heart and we are all set now for our Mexican vacation next month. I am not sure what they will think of us when we approach check in with 2 umbrella strollers, 2 car seats, enough luggage to facilitate a move to Mexico and 2 kids in tow, but by then it will be too late!

The funniest thing is that the kids are growing so fast that all of Ana's summer clothes no longer fit so I am running around consignment stores trying to find 4T ones that will work - I dont want to buy "resort wear" for a child that is growing so fast that they will literally only be used for this one trip. And Sasha is finally fitting into his 2T clothes with no rolling of the legs! It is crazy. He is having a harder time with the growing part though- he keeps telling me his legs hurt at night- I know it is because he is growing but no idea what to do for it. Any ideas?

And, yesterday was Ana's last day of school. As many of you know we feel that the school she was in enrolled in was not the right choice for her- way too big of a class, not enough structure, the teacher did not 'get' it and Ana had super duper anxiety about Aaron leaving. So, I am thankful we only paid for a trial month and now we will start again in the Spring. We are thinking Montessori so if anyone knows of any spectacular places in north Seattle let me know!

Up to our eyeballs....

In craziness this past week!

Here are some cute pics of the kids for everyone to laugh at. :)

Yesterday afternoon our wonderful friend (and professional photographer) Becky Nelson and took a zillion pics of the kids and some family shots too. The kids were all sorts of cute in little 'fall' outfits from Gymboree and I cannot wait to see the results as I am pretty sure they are the cutest little ones in all the land. And, we will finally have shots for the adoption announcements (is there a statute of limitations in how long after you come home that you can send those out, if so we may be well past it) and a Xmas card- I am sooo on it (hahaha, I just am killing 2 birds with one stone). Cant wait to see them though!

I have had early meetings every single day which means not only does Aaron have to get our little munchkins up (something I try to help with most days) but I have left the house long before they awake- which makes them (especially Ana) MAD at mama. They feel strongly that it would be better if no one went to the office so we could play all day together. While this is nice it isnt exactly realistic so.... I feel guilty, Aaron feel stressed, the kids are grumpy- ugh- sometimes it feels like you cant always get what you want - a new feeling for me... Of course, it probably is because i have been working on developing their sense of entitlement- I need them to catch up to the rest of us you know :) and they are quick studies!

I am also dragging my feet on scheduling Sasha's surgeries - yes, they are willing to do a 'twofer' after all so he is getting it from top to bottom, literally with a adnoid, tonsil and circumcision in one. Poor thing- hopefully some day he will forgive me. I think we will wait until we get back from Mexico though because I worry about him not being fully recovered and trying to travel. Hopefully we will be able to do it really quickly after we get back though because mid-december is looking absolutely loo loo in terms of Mama travel so I need to have him mostly healed before I take off on back to back short trips that will have me out of town for a week probably. I cant believe I am already stressed out about a couple 3 day trips in 2 months- life certainly does change when you have kids. A couple months ago that wouldnt even be a blip on my radar yet and now I am totally sweating finding someone to help Aaron with the kids the days I am gone or thinking about them all going up to Marta's or something to help. I know it will all work out and if need be Aaron is perfectly capable of just handling the kids all on his own but I would like him to have some support- if only to make me feel less guilty for traveling - especially so close to Christmas.

SKB

Well it is about time!

Okay, fabulous news to report- our children are finally, officially, sleeping in their super fancy, beautiful beds! As many of you know our kiddos were very 'bed adverse' as part of their multitude of bed time related issues and have been sleeping in little 'nests' on the floor- mattress, duvets, pillows etc. We tried everything- begging, bribe, cajoling, demanding etc and nothing could get them to sleep in these darn beds. I was really starting to think that they would outgrow them before they slept in them (and they are usually good until about 8 yrs old!).

Well, in a nod to those who say kids will do something only when they are ready- about 10 days ago Ana just climbed in when it was time for bed and announced she would be sleeping in her bed from now on. We didnt say anything other than "good girl" because we didnt want to get too excited (we have had a few false starts) but here we are 10 days later and she has been in her bed every night! Sasha, who follows her every move, moved up to his bed about 5 days ago. We have the floor around him laid out with pillows because he does fall out every now and again but not recently. :)

This is big in my world- I was OBSESSED with these beds- for years, before we even started the process i knew I wanted these beds. Dont ask- it is just one of those things where you cant get away from an idea of something you want. So, it was a big deal to me that they hated them- I cant say why but it hurt my feelings. I know how dumb this is, trust me. But I am so excited that they are in them now! And, last night Ana asked me to stay while she fell asleep (Papa and I, but the first time she has been willing to have me there so that is something).

Anyway, here is a pic of the beds- just so you can see how loo-loo I truly am. :)

Pumpkin Patch Day!

Hi Everyone-

This past weekend we went to a pumpkin patch. It was totally fun and the kids had a great time. Attached is some video for you- just a short one- of our time there. Sorry about the bee reference- Mama hates bees and one interrupted her filming, leading to a shortened version of our day on my camera.

Our kids, like many Russian kids who have spent time in a Baby Home, LOVE to be bundled up. Please note their outfits, hats, mittens etc and then know that it was about 60 degrees out the day we went on this little adventure. The minute it hits about 62 they start asking for the super warm stuff. I am not sure what we are going to do in the real winter but we have already purchased down jackets and giant snow boots so hopefully we will be okay with our little Nanooks of the North.

Both kids both still have bad colds so no school this week so far for Ana - which is a bummer for a variety of reasons but mostly because I am worried she is going to stop wanting to go and we will lose the traction we were building with her dealing with being away from Papa and Sasha. We are trying hard to get her more used to be around people other than Papa and Sasha. It is hard enough when Papa leaves them with me, (she cries for anywhere between 5 minutes and 1/2 hour when he leaves the house without her) but a teacher has been out of the question so far- she freaks out! And a baby sitter is still out of the question which is too bad because going out to dinner with Aaron is a dream I have. Not a big dream, but a dream... Hopefully soon that will happen. Beth and Gina have volunteered to give it a try and if those two who work with kids all day every day can't do it then we are in bigger trouble than I thought. :) I am pretty confident we will succeed but just havent't 'pulled the trigger' on that yet. Keep you posted on how that goes.

That is it for now.

SKB

Swimming at Poppy Nick's

Hi All-

We had a great day yesterday! We decided to go up to Bellingham to see some family and because Mama had to be there for work anyway. So early in the morning (kid time, so way later than I am used to leaving) we piled in the minivan and headed on up. Aaron and the kids dropped me off at the Cap and took a quick tour of the offices. It was cute and funny and they love the leather chairs! Then Aaron and the bambinos took off for Baba Marta's house and Mama got down to work. The market was not helping anyone feel all that cheerful but we all took it in stride. :)

Baba Marta couldnt hang out too long with the kids because it was Yom Kippur and she had services to attend but they got to play at her house all day anyway and they also hit Whatcom Falls, Bloedel and Cornwall parks in the afternoon (ambitious park schedule due to Papa not being sure what to do next apparently) and then we all rendevous'd (sp??) at Poppy Nick's at around 4:30. The kids were super excited to see the indoor pool and agree whole heartedly that swimming in Poppy's pool is far far more civilized and all around better than at the local community center- warmed towels, big bathroom, bedroom with the biggest bed ever seen-perfect for jumping on naked after a shower and before putting your clothes back on, fluffy robes, no other kids splashing- I think I may have ruined them for our pedestrian lifestyle down here.

After the swim we all went down to the main house for dinner which was yummy chicken and mac n' cheese etc etc etc. The kids chowed down and Ana especially enjoyed the chocolate cupcake Elizabeth brought her for dessert. The kids had never had cupcakes before and she LOVED it. Then we changed the kids into their PJ's and loaded them into the van, covered them with beautiful silk blankies borrowed from Pop and E. because we forgot ours and headed home. The kids were asleep 30 minutes into the ride and here is the best part- they actually stayed asleep during the transfer to the house and bed and slept ALL NIGHT! So, the key may be to run them super ragged at several parks and then with a swim, feed them crazy amounts of food and then forgo the bath? Who knows, but it was very exciting to us.

Now it is back to work and to watch the market fall some more. Ugh- maybe Em was right and I should be out stockpiling precious metals?? I guess I just need to take the LONG TERM view here- the money will come back, it just will take a while... I need to keep telling myself that and all will be fine. :)

Later Skater-
SKB

What is in a name??

Hey All-

Can't believe it has been 6 days since I posted- it has obviously been busy. Work is just super busy- for which I am thankful - and the kids are busy so...

Anyway, I have a serious issue today. As you know we decided to keep our kids original names- Anastasia and Alexander. We felt this was best for several reasons and are happy with that decision. BUT, we hit a huge snag last week regarding Sasha (Alexander). Apparently in Russia they spelled his name wrong on the paperwork- Aleksandr. They told us at the time that this was fine, normal and would all be translated into Alexander here in the US. We believed them. Our tickets home said Alexander and all was fine, no one blinked that it didnt match his adoption decree or Russian passport.

So, we get home and wait for the Certificate of Citizenships - the document that makes it possible to get a US passport, SSN etc. Ana's comes right away- they have a 45 day window to get it to you after you land in the US and your child becomes a citizen. So, hers is here but no sign of Sasha's. We started to worry a couple weeks ago because we need US passports to take the kids to Mexico next month- a trip already booked. Well, we FINALLY Received his last week (it had gone to a totally wrong address- scarey!) and had finally been routed to us. Guess how his name was spelled??? Aleksandr!!!! This is a huge problem because this is not his name -- Alexander is his name, and it is a big deal to me!!! Because we are in such a hurry to get his passport etc though we have been advised (and started process of) getting it all in this dumb wrong name and then we will have to change it with our re-adoption in WA State. This is crazy, will cost us an additional couple grand in paperwork changes down the road and has me sooooo mad I cant even tell you.

Aaron doesnt see it as such a big deal- he thinks this spelling is "cool" and that maybe we should keep it. Well, hell no- it is sort of annoying to me that (okay, really annoying) that we didnt get to name our children the first time around and I will be damned if I am going to live with a spelling dictated by some dumb clerk.

I personally hold the court translator responsible. She is the one that spelled it wrong in the first place and that is what got this all started. UGH!

And, guess what the name on his Alaska ticket to Mexico is...Alexander. So now I have to try to get them to change that so it matches- which is never fun or easy. I guess I will have to go downtown or to the airport to do that as they wont do it on the phone, and maybe not at all- some rule about changing the name. Umm, he is 2, how much of a big deal does this have to be?? I am MAD!!!

Anyway, that is my issue this week.

On a lighter note, here are some adorable pics of Ana from yesterday- she was wearing her new coat (faux of course) and was so in love with it that she would not take it off. I would say she is channelling Queen Markell for sure- calculator, fur and a tiara. She coulnt be more like Mom if she tried. :)

That is all for now!

SKB