Happy Birthday Grandpa

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!!

Losing Their Language

We have always said that it was important to us that Kim and Peter keep their Russian language. We talked about this before we even went to Russia for trip 1. We have emphasized it repeatedly with the kids, the agency, our interpreter in Russia, the Director of the orphanage, the judge... just about anyone who would listen. We've brought home books in Russian and videos in Russian. The kids love the videos (they watched the Jungle Book yesterday)... Peter could never read in Russian and Kim doesn't like to read very much, so the books aren't too much of a hit. We actively seek out opportunities for the kids to speak Russian with other Russian speakers in our city. We also thought that since we adopted two Russian speaking siblings, that their speaking Russian to each other would also help them keep their language.

It isn't working.

They now mix in a lot of English words when they speak to each other in Russian... even when we aren't in the room. Yesterday they played checkers and as they set up the board, Kim told Peter "Ya brown" and Peter answered "Ya white" (our checkerboard is wooden and we have brown and white pieces). This alone doesn't mean much, but we've noticed that Kim is having a harder and harder time reading in Russian. Peter keeps forgetting the Russian word for things or tells us that the English word is Russian (for words where even I know that it isn't).

The first two videos were made in March 2009. These are 3 months, almost to the day, after our adoption became offical and we took custody of Kim and Peter. Mom shot these as a condition of the kids being allowed to play "Mama Hachish"... one of their favorite homeschool games... more on that later. In the first one, we asked them to say their alphabet... first in English and then in Russian. After they struggle doing the Russian together, Kim says "Ya snaiyish" (I know... BTW, it should have been "Ya snaiyoo"... they no longer conjugate verbs correctly) and tries doing it by herself... and can't get it right. She then says "OK, Ya ne snaiyish Russian" (OK, I don't know Russian... it should have been "Ya ne snaiyoo").



In the second video, Mom is holding a book where they can read the Russian alphabet. Kim had disappeared between the two to get one of her Russian books so she could look at it and remember. She was troubled that she didn't remember the Russian alphabet. Even with Lisa holding up the book, notice how much they struggle with it.



This last video is from our first trip to Russia back in July 2008 where the kids said the alphabet for us. Peter (Gyena back then) does not know his Russian alphabet, even though he is supposedly 8 years old. He had never had any schooling at that time. Kim (Yana back then) had just finished second grade and does know hers.



We need to rethink our stance on their native language. Do we put a lot more time and resources into trying to help them keep it or do we allow it to continue to slip away?

Beth's Band Concert

Beth recently had her spring band concert. This is her second year of playing the clarinet. We've come a long way from the notorious "Hot Cross Buns" concert. Enjoy.

Missing Tooth

This tooth has been loose since before Peter joined our family. He has been afraid to wiggle it or move it. (He really didn't want to lose it.) I was reaching the point I was afraid he would choke on it because it was so loose.

Tonight, with it dangling from just one point in his mouth, we convinced him to let us pull it. He got all pale, sweaty and clammy. He swallowed hard and let us pull it out. It was more than ready but you could clearly tell that he had some flashbacks to his last trip to a dentist.

Anyway it was so loose it came out with almost no blood. We then got him thinking about putting his tooth in his tooth pillow and what did he think he would find in the morning. "A Dollar!!" "A dollar??" This and some tickling got a smile going but all night it was as if he was mourning the loss of his tooth.

Side note: He has five other loose teeth, pray that each tooth lost will not be such an emotionally thought process.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Grandpa, we want to send you this birthday greeting. Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

We hope you had a good trip.

Happy 9th, I mean 7th Birthday

Today Peter officially turned 9 and we celebrated his 7th birthday. If this doesn't make sense, see the post entitled "Peter, Peter, How Old Art Thou?" Anyway, today we celebrated Peter's 7th Birthday. The celebrating started early since last night we put balloons and noise makers in his bedroom while he was sleeping. He came downstairs this morning in full party gear... party hat, pajamas, balloons and noisemaker. The day he had been waiting for had finally arrived. (He had been counting down the days on the calendar till his birthday ever since we did a calendar unit in school a month ago. A big party hat sticker has been his focus on the calender ever since.)

The day started with candles on his fried eggs and Mom giving 7 birthday hugs and 7 birthday kisses. He had the biggest, silliest grin at this. I then sent him up to the shower to get cleaned up so we could go have his picture taken. He did really well at these, although, as fate would have it, his hair would not lay down in back (He normally doesn't have a problem with hair standing straight up but today he sure did.) While we were out, we picked up stuff to make his cake. Back at home we made up his cake and had a shortened school day. We did get to read Happy Birthday Biscuit and Curious Geore and the Birthday Surprise , two of his favorite storybook characters. Kim then read бабушкин суп по субботам. (Her Russian reading has really declined... yet another unwritten post.) Then downstairs for some language arts and math. All the while a stack of presents on the dining room table kept Peter's attention. He asked once about being able to open them but did really well at waiting, once it was explained that he had to wait until Beth and Luke made it home from school and Dad was home from work. Finally everyone was home and he got to rip into them. After which it was off to McDonald's, after all if you are offered anything you want to eat for your birthday dinner what could be better? That evening Beth had her Middle School Band Concert so we went and enjoyed the music. (Sorry about the dark picture the flash on my little camera didn't reach the stage. Hopefully the video came out better. I haven't even looked at it yet.)

Finally it was cake time with "Mama's cars" racing across the cake. He kept trying to convince me that they should be his new cars since they were on his birthday cake. After all, Spiderman was even in one of the cars. In the end I "agreed" to his logic and reluctantly gave up "my" cars.

After singing Happy Birthday, Peter blew out the candles. He was so reved up about it he couldn't get a big enough/focused enough blow to get them out in one try. He kept blowing and got them all out. He didn't even need the trick candles we put on Kim's cake. He was beaming the whole time.

Then it was time to cut the cake, one of the things that we let the birthday kid do is cut their own first piece of cake. You should have seen his eyes when I handed him the "Big" knife. He didn't want to take it and politely asked me in English to cut the cake for him. I did make sure that he got the first piece. Then off to bed for the close of his very first American birthday. I think he is already thinking about his next one.

Climbing Wall

One of the highlights of the school year for Luke is the climbing wall unit. He missed the first round in the fall since we were in Russia but this week climbing wall started again. He did really well and is a lot braver than I am. (Side note: Gym class, I mean physical education class, has really changed since I was in school and we had to try to climb the rope.)

The class started with going over all of the safety rules. Then all of the students got into climbing harnesses and helmets. They could then pick which activities they wanted to do first. Luke started on the climbing wall. He worked the belay team for a couple of his classmates then it was his turn to climb. He headed up and got stuck for a minute 2/3 the way up but figured it out. I was really proud of him for making it, although he climbed off the platform before I got the camera going.

After the climbing wall, Luke moved on to the zip wire. It is his favorite activity but, having been the parent volunteer for it before, it is not the parents' favorite. However, if you are looking for a good work out for the day, this is the station to sign up for.

Next week Mark is going in for Luke's last climbing wall unit of the year. It is always a lot of fun with a group of really great kids.

Guess Who just lost His Training Wheels

This weekend was a monumental step for us. We are once again a training-wheel-less family. When Peter first arrived, the idea of balancing on a bike, peddling, looking where you are going and steering all at the same time was completely over loading. Mark was able to put training wheels on Peter's Bike which allowed him to learn to peddle and steer. Once he mastered these two skills, the rest of bike riding came very quickly. So ready or not Peter is ready to roll.

Meanwhile, as Peter is burning-up the road on his bike, the other 3 decided that it's a good day to try out their new roller blades they got for Christmas. I'm pleased to say that with all the unbalanced wheels that were rolling around we had no major wipe outs. I will say that if you are ever heading over to see us, watch out. I give no guarantees about from where wheels will be rolling or by whom.

Side note: Mom thought it was way too cold to be out (only 27 degrees!).. but that didn't stop them one bit. :)