Update on K's Progress

Hello Everyone!

Ok...so I know I said I would update the blog when we returned home, but in my defense, I didn't really how busy I would be as a new Mom with a very eager 13 year old.  Two hours after we landed (on October 23rd), she was asking when she could start school.  Naturally, we just assumed it was because we are just another pair of boring parents!  :*)  Actually, it was more about wanting to start her English lessons as soon as possible.  I think she is growing tired of not knowing what everyone is talking about!

So...she started her first day of school last week, after getting several more vaccinations that weren't fun for her.  G-d, I am so happy that we live in such an amazing school district.  K's school is awesome & the teachers there are very patient & accepting.  Of course, we're not too happy about all the Math homework we're having to help with now...I forgot how much I hated 7th grade Math.

Her vocabulary is growing more every day and we always celebrate those little moments when she/we realize she's remembered a specific word or phrase.  It's all about small victories!  But we are also having to be more cautious about what we discuss because she also understands a lot more now as well.  She still talks to our animals in Russian, and I have to admit that it's pretty cute to hear "baby talk" in Russian; it's a nice change, and the dog's have no clue, but they love her very much & they are now getting much more hugs & kisses than ever!

Halloween was a blast this year!  R & I dressed up, along with K who was a cute little Vampire girl (minus the complicated fangs).  R was a mexican who looked more like Juan Valdez than Juan himself, and I was going for the Lilly Munster look, but wound up looking more like Elvira!  Nevertheless, K had so much fun celebrating her 1st Halloween!  She came home with a bag full of candy (my waist line hates me for it), and I think we all slept in the day after.

Now, we're looking forward to Thanksgiving, as this will be her 1st with the entire family.  We will be hosting the festivities at our house, so I'm a busy bee these days trying to get things ready for the big event.  This year, we have so much more to be thankful for!

Well, that's a rough overview of the past 2 weeks, but stay tuned because there will be much more to come!

PS:  We'd like to say Thank You to our wonderful friends who came to meet us at the airport with lots of hugs, kisses, flowers, and other awesome presents!  We love you guys & we cannot tell you how thankful we are to have such a great  group of friends!  Also, thanks to Mark & Linda who hosted a very fun "Welcome Home" party for us, and to Suzanne who is hosting a "Welcome Home Shower" for us this coming weekend!  You guys ROCK!!!