A few more pictures ...

I finally got my Mom's camera downloaded. Just a few pictures to enjoy! Almira learned how to ride a bike so we went and got her a new bike yesterday. Thank you Memaw Bradford and Aunt Diane for shopping money. It helped to buy a bike.

Most of these are pictures I took in the courtyard at the theater on Sunday afternoon. One picture is at the pizza place last week with my friend Beth's son, Payne.

We also went to the eye doctor and ordered Almira new glasses. I hope they will be ready in the next few days. I don't know how she can see a thing.

K

A new girl....

This is going to be a rather long post tonight. I’m sorry I have gotten behind, but I have been quite busy and I have so much to tell. I need to go back a bit in time and brag about my darling daughter, Sarah. If I didn’t mention it before Sarah had quite a good day at awards day at OCS this year. Sarah received an award for Principal’s Club which means all “A’s” for the year. Then OCS awards another award that is voted on by the students of the classes. Sarah tied for “Most Christ Like” with a friend of hers in her class this year. I have to say I was so proud of her. I knew she was a sweet girl and very special, but this is a special award for children that behave in Christ like ways. Her friend Shaylynn (probably didn’t spell that right) also tied with her. I’m so happy for her. In the other third grade glasses two of her friends won, Abby Barker and Anna Gober, all darling girls. I will post a picture of awards day for Sarah.

Then I must say that the sweet, shy quiet girl that we adopted from Petro is gone. That’s right. We have now found the true Almira. She is a prankster, a drama queen, rambunctious, completely out of control at times and just so much fun. She is no longer shy around us at all. She sings all the time, in Russian of course. It almost sounds like the song we know here, like “Enny, Meeny, Miney, Moe, catch a tiger by the toe”. It must be some kid song in Russian. She sings quite loudly and is teaching Sarah more and more Russian. They also do a “Patty Cake song”, in Russian, very loudly and usually in the backseat of the vehicle.

Almira has been having a wonderful time here in Monroe. Last Tuesday, Mom, Sarah, Almira and myself headed up to Lake D’Arbonne and visited Pawpaw at the camp. My parents have a lake house on the lake about 45 minutes from home. Almira got so excited when we rounded the curve and saw the lake ahead of her. We got out of the car and the girls headed out the back door to run down to the dock. Daddy was just coming in from checking his trot line and was ready to see his granddaughters. Daddy showed Almira some fish that he had caught and she just screamed with excitement. She kept making a motion like a fishing pole to him and he said yes, I caught those. We hung around at the camp for a little while and then I decided to take the girls to the state park. The state park up there has a beautiful swimming pool.

The girls got in their suits and we headed over. It was already hot and the pool was perfect. Almira was bit nervous at first, but soon couldn’t take sitting on the sidelines any more. I really think she was shy about anyone seeing her in her swimsuit the first time. Even though her suit has a skirt, she is still pretty modest. She came and joined Sarah and I in the pool. Once she got in the water, she just loved it. Before long she was going under and I was showing her how to make the strokes in the water. We stayed in the pool for about an hour and then headed back to the camp. After lunch, it was so hot that the girls watched a movie and then I took a nap. The jet lag was tough this time. About 3:00 we got up and went for a boat ride with Pawpaw. Almira just squealed and screamed she had so much fun. At one point we were going really fast and she just stood up. It scared me to death. In some ways she is like a small child and does not realize dangers.

We ended up going to a quiet part of the lake and Daddy let her and Sarah drive the boat. I think Almira really liked driving. A boat is much easier than a car and there was nothing to run into and no foot pedals. We went back to the camp and enjoyed a big fruit snack. Almira loves any kind of fruit and thankfully so do we. She, Sarah and I had strawberries and cherries. A little bit later we headed home to meet Jon.

On Wednesday we went to Target for the first time. I bought Almira some software that was for about 1st grade, but it was all phonics and reading comprehension. She and Sarah sat and worked on it most of the afternoon. Sarah told me that Almira finished the whole game. Almira can spell and read in English, but the trick is identifying the words and matching them to an object. Like she could read axe, but she didn’t know what an axe was. Things like this. I suppose the only way to learn this is just by exposure and reading books to her and introducing her to more and more things.

I am quite surprised by how fast she is beginning to say complete English sentences. She has been home 10 days today and is speaking complete sentences in English and they make sense. It probably doesn’t hurt any that Sarah talks her ear off.

Wednesday night we ventured out and went bowling with the youth from church. I thought it would be a relaxing environment and a chance to meet some of the kids from church. At first Almira was very uncomfortable and actually said “Too many people” when she came in the door. Once she met a few girls and started bowling she was alright. Almira actually turned out to be quite a good bowler. I couldn’t believe it was her first time. She bowled several strikes and then a few pick ups where she got all the pins. We then went and had pizza for the first time. We met some friends and had dinner with them. I don’t think pizza was a big hit for Almira. She is not a big fan of cheese. This may be the problem.

We didn’t do much this weekend, but did venture out and go to church on Sunday morning. Because of the decorations for Vacation Bible school, we had Sunday school in the auditorium. Almira and Sarah came into the 9:45 service with us and I’m sure she was quite confused. First off that is our contemporary service, the rock and roll service as I call it. She was probably wondering why a rock band was jamming on the stage of a church. I know she couldn’t understand the words, but it was all Christ centered, trust me.

Then after church we went home to make sandwiches and Almira spotted Sarah’s bike which had just come back from the shop. Even though it was already 90 degrees, Almira wanted to learn to ride. She tried on the driveway a few times, but didn’t have much luck. I was worried about her falling and worse about her running out in the road in front of a car. So we loaded up my bike and Sarah’s bike in the back of the truck and headed to the spot where we taught Sarah to ride. There is a large grassy spot behind the levee that is dry when the river is down. It is about 2 football fields and the grass is very short or worn from tire tracks. It is a great place to learn to ride. If you fall you won’t get hurt. We worked on it for about 30 minutes. Almira was exhausted and dripping with sweat. We headed home with her only making it a few feet of actual riding.

Then we headed to the Little Theater for the afternoon. A friend of mine had called and offered us tickets to go see Beauty and the Beast, which was put on by the Young Troop, which was just about all teenagers. The girls just loved it. Even though Almira couldn’t understand much of the words, I know she could follow the story. The kids did a great job. Thanks again, Nancy.

The girls headed out to the pool late in the afternoon and we had a lazy rest of the day. Our pool is looking better, but is still a bit green. We have had a time getting it cleaned up since the cover partially came off during our first trip to Kaz in April. Jon has been in and it has enough chemicals and was a nice blue. But by the time he got in a vacuumed it out, the green had come back some what. The girls didn’t notice at all. Almira had been going out every day and looking at the pool and telling Jon, “Swim, swim, please.”

Jon grilled burgers for everyone and we just hung out for the evening. My friend Beth came over and visited for a while. I notice when other people are around, Almira gets quiet again and stays back in her room or in the back of the house with Sarah. I hope one day she can relax and just be herself around everyone.

This morning was the beginning of vacation Bible school. I signed up to work with 6th grade so I could be with the oldest kids. They are closer to Almira’s age than any other group. I know she had to be uncomfortable at first, but she warmed up some. It was tough in the Bible study classes and in some of the games, because I couldn’t translate things for her. She did have a good time during recreation which was like a tag game. I could explain to her how that worked. Of course she did well, she runs like the wind.

Tomorrow is wear your team jersey day and so tonight we went and bought the girls some pink LSU T-shirts for them. We went ahead and got a couple of pink hats, because Thursday is hat day. Alabama GiGi, I know you would be proud of us.

Another first today is we all went to the dentist. It was time for mine and Sarah’s 6 month check ups. This was Almira’s first dentist visit from what I could tell. Not much good news there. She had at least 7 cavities. At least most of them are smaller and can be fixed with a laser, but one or two are going to need drilling. We are going to start with smaller ones and then go back later for the larger ones, when I can explain better to her. As soon as we got in the door from the dentist both girls said “Swimming!”. So out the door they headed. They stayed in the pool for almost 2 hours.

I cooked supper and introduced her to tacos tonight, which I think she really enjoyed. She had those with her regular favorite, potato salad, which I will be making every weekend from now on. I need to make enough to last for a week, Almira just loves it. As soon as she got done eating she said something to me in Russian and then left the table. After a couple of minutes I asked Jon if he knew where she was and he thought she went to the back of the house. I got worried and went and looked and she had gone outside to try and ride Sarah’s bike again. At least she stays in the driveway, which has two sides and makes a half circle. I went outside with her and she wanted me to get on my bike. After a few more minutes she had it. We rode down the street together, with her still stopping every few feet. But after about 30 minutes she had it down. I told her now that she can ride, we will buy her a bike of her own. She was so excited. She rides her bike, speaking constantly in Russian and screams from time to time. I got some great pictures.

So things are going well here, just enjoying having Almira home and all the new fun stuff that comes with it. Sarah has been great and a real trooper. She and Almira seem to get along great and have so much fun together. I had to get on to them tonight for giggling after 9:30. We have to get up early in the morning for VBS.

Tomorrow should be another fun day and we will spend the afternoon at the eye doctor. Both girls need eye exams. Sarah’s vision has always been perfect, but it’s been almost 5 years since she had a check up. Almira is blind as a bat at a distance. I’m surprised she can see the T.V. from the couch. At the eye exam in Almaty the doctors kept shaking their heads and moving up lines, until they were to the very top. I know she needs glasses, but does not like to wear them. I told her we will get her pretty glasses, but she must wear them. We worked on the ABCs last week, so I know she knows those now.

So I hope I have everyone out there all caught up and I apologize for the delays in posting. I have now downloaded a few pictures, but need the cable for my Mom’s camera, which I left at her house. I will post more pictures later.

I never know what order the pictures will be in when I post, but I had to tell you about one I took tonight. Those are 2 exhausted girls after an entire afternoon of playing, swimming and bike riding. Sarah was already in her pajamas, and Almira was about to get hers on. Almira collapsed on the couch and Sarah took full advantage to give her big sister a hug. Enjoy

Lots of fun here...

Well, it is Wednesday morning and I'm just getting the girls up. They are staying up and playing every night and sleeping late in the morning. Next week is going to be tough as we are going to be at Vacation Bible school and will have to get up early.

Yesterday Mom, Sarah, Almira and I rode up to Lake D'Arbonne, to my parents' camp. The girls had so much fun. My Dad showed Almira fish that he had caught and she got so excited. She kept making a motion like a fishing pole, I think she really wanted him to take her fishing. He promises he will before long. I then took the girls over to the state park where there is a big nice swimming pool. At first Almira was quite shy and kept her towel on. Of course she has a swimsuit with a tank top and a skirt, but she did not like so many people being there. Sarah and I got in the pool and left her sitting on the side in a chair in the shade. After a little while she finally gave in and came and got in the pool with us. Then she loved it. We played in the pool for about an hour and then headed back to the camp.

After lunch and a nap (for me) Dad took us boat riding. Almira loved it and Dad even let her and Sarah drive the boat. She definitely likes the lake and I think we'll have more fun there this summer. I will post more pictures when I get them downloaded.

I hate to ask this on the blog, but I have Natasha's foot outline and measurements. I'm sorry but for the life of me I can't remember who asked me for these. Can you please e-mail me and let me know who wanted these from the regional and I will mail to you right away?

Also, Boris e-mailed me this morning and sent a letter from Zhenya at the orphanage to Almira. I printed it off and Almira was in her room reading it. She seemed quite excited to hear from her friends. Almira also called Laney last night in California, Jill's daughter and they got to talk for a while. While they were on my cell phone, I had a chance to call my friend Jody and get caught up on her trip to Akkol. I'm so glad she is home safe and sound and I know is ready to get back and pick up Josh, her new son.

That's all for now. I'll update with more pictures later. We're just having a great time.

Good times in Monroe

We had a really good time Almira's first day home on Saturday. The girls slept in and I fixed breakfast, just some fruit and yogurt. We went to the farmers' market and then to the grocery store. Almira got to taste of lots of things and really liked some sausage they were giving samples of. We were grilling last night so we got some and cooked with our hamburgers. After lunch we went to Mom and Dad's and Almira got to see my parents' house. Then we headed out to Doug and Katy's house and she got a tour there. We all ended up outside with the kids playing frisbee.

Sunday morning we took it easy again and I cooked lunch for Mom, Dad, Doug, Katy and the kids. That is the fullest my table has ever been. I think we need to expand. There are now 10 of us. Wow! Almira got her first full southern meal of roast beef, fresh green beans and new potatoes, squash and corn bread. She didn't care much yet for the green beans or corn bread. But I pulled out the potato salad I made last night and that was a hit.

After lunch the girls drew some and just played. Almira motioned to me that she wanted to knit. I didn't have the things to knit or crochet so went headed out to get some. Almira made me a beautiful crocheted doily and brought it to me in Almaty.

We are having such a good time. Tonight my friend in California, Jill, had her daughter call and talk to Almira. They talked for almost an hour in Russian. Jill's daughter Laney was adopted last summer from the Regional orphanage where Almira was. Jill, I hope I got the time right on that. It was so good for Almira to have someone to talk to. I had some questions and some things I needed her to tell Almira and she was able to tell me some things. I think it was really good to hear things from another girl that was adopted not too long ago and has been in the same situation that Almira is in now.

After that the girls got in the hot tub and ate some ice cold watermelon. I just had to send a picture of that. They were so funny. It's like they've been friends forver. I don't know how the communicate, but they talk and play games. Just too much fun.

Kathy

Almira is home

Well, we are home from our long journey. Almira is doing well, but I’m sure she is overwhelmed. When we flew in last night we had a big group of friends and family waiting at the airport last night. She had flowers and people had made her signs that said “Welcome Home”. Thanks to everyone who came to meet us. It was very kind and I think she enjoyed it. It was so good to see everyone.

I've finally got my pictures downloaded and will add a few to the blog. This is the first picture of Almira and Sarah together. We could not take pictures or video in the airport so I waited until they jumped in the van. Sisters together... finally. The other picture is the girls in the hotel room. We had been shopping that morning and they had picked some nuts at the grocery store. Then we came back to the room and they did each other's hair. Then they were sitting on the couch eating nuts, talking about I don't know what and giggling up a storm.

My parents came over after the airport and had brought food and got to visit with Almira. She is hugging my parents and seems really happy to be home. The English is coming very slowly, but I think she understands a lot of what we’re saying. She liked her room and couldn’t believe she had clothes in her closet.

We just had breakfast and I’m trying to keep the foods similar to what she’s been eating. Of course I didn't make cooked cabbage and all those salads like we had at the hotel. She had fruit and yogurt for breakfast. We will be going on the first grocery shopping trip today. That should be very interesting.

Almira did eat a hamburger in Almaty and really liked it. We met the Colemans for dinner on Wednesday night. They are missionaries in Almaty that are from here, where we live. They have 2 daughters that are 10 and 14, Hannah and Missy. Such sweet children. They took us to this restaurant that was abut 2 blocks from the yellow Russian Orthodox church called the American Bar and Grill. I swear it looked like a Lonestar or something similiar on the inside. Almira and Kcensa, the 12 year old that belongs to Allison, had chicken fingers for the first time. Then Almira tried my hamburger and she loved it. In fact she finished it.

We went back there the next night with some more adoptive parents and got all the kids together. This time Almira ate a hamburger.

When we got off the plane in Memphis we went to eat at this barbecue place. Almira didn’t think too much of barbecue. Almira ordered a hamburger and potato chips. She ate the whole thing.

We were all really tired this morning and slept until close to 10AM. She was in her room reading her book that we had bought her when we were there the first trip. Jon, Sarah and Almira are about to go to the vet and pick up Star our dog. Jon thinks she got bit by a snake or something. He said the side of her face was swollen and she has been at the vet for several days.

I can’t seem to get Almira used to the clothes. She did put on a cute outfit that was a skort and a short sleeved shirt. Then she put on thick socks and her shoes she brought from Petro. I call them the librarian shoes. I think the more she’s here we can keep working with her. People, especially girls dress very casual here. You have to when it is 90 degrees outside.

I've also got to break her of the habit of washing her clothes out in the bath tub. I just happened to see her doing it last night and took her to the front of the house and showed her the washing machine and the dryer. She showed me a scrubbing motion with her clothes and I told her the washing machine does that. I'm not sure it got through.

So far clothes are the only issue we've got right now. I know clothes are so different here from what she is used to. But she will melt, it is probably going to be 90 degrees today.

I had better go now. I have to get a cable for my computer from my mother so I can down load all the pictures I took. I took her camera and it was great. It is so tiny and holds so many more pictures than mine.

It's so good to be home.

Kathy

Back in Amsterdam...

Hello all,
We are in Amsterdam on the way home. Everything went fine with the passports and Sarah, Almira and I will be home in Monroe tonight. Here it is 12:15 p.m. and in Monroe I believe it is 7:15 a.m. on Friday mornng.

I will post more when we get home. I have some great pictures of the girls in Almaty.

Kathy

Coming home

We are done here. We had our embassy interview earlier this afternoon. Then we left and went to the KLM office and got our tickets changed. We are flying home at 8:30 into Monroe on Friday night, June 1st. I just can't believe it. Almira and Sarah were both jumping up and down when I told them we were really coming home tomorrow. They are so excited. Almira keeps saying tomorrow, tomorrow we will be in America.

Things have been going great and I've made some good friends here. I hope we can all keep in touch. I can't believe it is almost over with now. Maybe I will sleep tonight. We have to leave for the airport tomorrow mornnig at 4AM with 2 other American families. I will post more tomorrow from Amsterdam if I get a chance. I just hope we don't have flight problems like we did last time coming out of Astana. We can't take Almira out of the airport in Amsterdam, she is still a Kazak citizen until she steps foot on American soil.

Well, I better go upstairs and check on the girls in the room. We'll see you soon.

Kathy