Growing growing growing...

Today I measured Sy, and since he has come home, he has grown nearly 6 inches!  It is crazy.  He has also gained about 5 pounds.  Sy has changed in so many ways, but one thing that hasn't changed, he is a very PICKY eater.  His food selection continues to be:  yogurt, peanut butter and jelly or chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, crackers, chocolate candy, toast, an occasional french fry and chocolate shakes.  Perhaps you are seeing a theme here!  We struggle as a family to figure out how to address this as we continue to see the importance of getting him to eat so that he can grow, but struggle as we are looking for him to assimilate more to how our family eats....time at the supper table is not that much fun, to say the least.  We have found that both boys are much better behaved when they are one on one with us and much more honery when they are competing for our attention.  I, as some of you may know, am not very patient, so the constant whining, bickering and fighting is taking its toll on me, and hence transferring to them.  Any advice here would be great!  As far as growing goes though, Sy and Jake are growing so much it is hard to believe.  Jake is finishing up first grade and he has made enormous gains in both reading and math this year.  We are blessed to great teachers who really want all the kids to grow, grow, grow!  I have decided to take the boys to California this summer.  We will see family, go to Disneyland and see the beach.  Should be fun.  You might all think I am nuts as I am going solo, however, I have enlisted the help of my dad and aunt who will be there, so I might live through it!  I will leave you with this picture which testifies to how big my boys are getting!

It has been a YEAR, really?

Well actually it has now been over a year since we first met Sy.  It was mid February when we were there initially.  And then of course we traveled back at the end of March.  So it is awfully crazy that it has gone so fast.  And what a little guy he is.  We still have most of the same food issues with him and I remember saying to Dean that we would start addressing some of those once he has been home for a year.  Yikes....that day is about here.  I am not looking forward to food battles for sure.  Amazing what happens in a years time.  Our little Russian speaks near perfect English.  We ask him from time to time if he remembers things from Russia.  I don't know if he really does. He answers however he thinks sounds best for the question.  Although he spoke decent Russian when he left, he speaks no Russian now.  I would have loved to have him retain some of this but couldn't see how we could since there are so few in our area that speak the language.  He goes to preschool now and likes to tell me about his "friends".  He shadows Jake and annoys him, just like a good younger brother would do, but I know that Jake loves him.  When we are not with them, but watch from the window, he is caring and understanding to Sy.  Jake is an amazing older brother.  We are blessed with such a great life and two wonderful little boys.  God has done amazing things!  Below is a picture of his one year home party with all of his cousi s, then a picture from when he first arrived, and finaly a picture of him now.  Our life will never be the same!