Leeza-isms and Zhenya-isms ( and a few photos)

I have mentioned to my husband a couple of times that you never know how much laughter can be in your home until you have children in it.  I don't think I have ever laughed so much in my life as I have in the last 3 and a half months.  More often then not we are laughing at them and the incredibly adorable things they come off with each day.  I also find it quite amusing some of the English language words they have picked up over other words.  I know you all won't find some of these things as cute and funny as I find them, but this blog is has the dual purpose of being a "baby book" or Life book of sorts.  I plan to share this with the kids when they get older and can actually read English!!  So here are a few things that have made us chuckle over the past few weeks. 

Leeza-
This kid is hilarious.  I suspect it is the age and social level.   I am of course not going to write EVERYTHING adorable she has said, but here are a few.  Her personality is certainly coming out!!

• My girl is very sassy, and finding a way to get that sassiness to tone down has been a challenge.   Sooo...if she is overly sassy, she is grounded from candy.   She LOVES LOVES candy.  Well,  she got grounded from candy one day a few weeks ago.  Later that day, she went into her brother's room and got a piece of candy from his stash, then proceeded to go upstairs where my mom was wrapping presents and throw the candy wrapper away up so I wouldn't see it!!!  Sneaky and Sassy!! 
• While visiting my aunt, I was looking all over the house trying to find Leeza's Leapster2.  I asked her over and over "Where's your computer?" to which she replies, "I don' know"  Finally I find it ,and  I picked it up and to show it to her.  She says in all seriousness, "I told you!"  SASSY!!! 
• Zhenya and Leeza were sitting at the table eating pizza.  Leeza was talking about something random.  Zhenya asked her if she was being sassy.  Her reply: "I don' know,  Maybe"   My mom almost fell out of her chair.  
• This morning when we told Leeza to go look out the window at the ochen (means something like a lot) snow.  She marches out of the room, looks out the window and yells, "Yep, ochen snow"  Her answer for everything is "Yep". 
• Leeza does not have her "R" when she talks which sounds really cute, but concerns me a bit.  So we practice them.  My sister in law has a dog named Rocko.   Leeza calls him, Yocko.  She tried so hard to say it right.   She would practice it saying "Yocko, Locko, Llllocko"  before finally getting Rocko out.    
• Leeza is learning to recognize her letters.  I have 5 letters that I had been showing her every day.  She claimed she didn't know them.  As you know she LOVES candy.  I offered her an M&M for every letter she can identify.  She named all FIVE when just seconds before she said she didn't know them!!  
• Okay, last one for now.  Leeza LOVES to dance.  Last night, she hops off my bed and says, "Leeza, dance"  and begins dancing in her cute little way. I have a video on my phone I will try to post.  It is sooo cute!!
  

Zhenya-
He is SOOO smart and picking up English like crazy.   He is not quite as funny as Leeza, but still very adorable.  He is getting so affectionate and asks for a kiss at least 10 times a day. 

• Zhenya often asks me what different words mean.  He asked what "exactly" meant.  The only thing I could think to tell him was that it was like "yes", since then he uses "exactly" instead of yes.  It is so funny when he does, because often it isn't exactly the correct usage of the word, but he is trying!
• We had family pictures taken and Zhenya was looking extremely handsome in the pictures.  We tease him by saying he looks "GQ".  When I was showing our pictures to my aunt, Zhenya walks up and says, "Show me, Zhenya GQ"  He loves looking at pictures of himself.  Seriously though, the child could model!!
• His first week in America, he went to Walgreens with Jeff . The cashier, a pretty blonde teenager, ask all kinds of questions about him.  Since then, everytime we drive by a Walgreens,no matter where, he mentions her name.  If I have to go to Walgreens,  he always wants to go and he looks for her, but he will claim he isn't.  
• Zhenya is quite sensitive and wants to please us.  If he even thinks he is getting fussed at, he stops whatever he is doing and runs to hugs us, looking up at us with his sweet face as if begging us not to be upset with him. 
• I also tease him about his expression (see photo below) when our photographer got out her camera.  I tease that he was saying " Take my picture".  He asks me to tell that story over and over.  Hope he doesn't get conceited!!! LOL

Look at that face!!

• On the way home from visiting a friend in KC, Zhenya began asking a bunch of deep questions about Jesus.  We did our best to explain things in our limited Russian and using English vocabulary we know he understands.  Jeff told Zhenya how to pray to ask Jesus into his heart and Zhenya said the prayer.  We weren't/aren't exactly sure of his level of understanding of it all , but he seemed to understand until he asked if the Ninja turtles would be in heaven too!!!

I have read many horror stories about adopting older children and I am sorry for everyone involved in those stories, but I have to say that to this point we have been so very blessed.  We have a couple of beautiful, healthy, seemingly well adjusted kids who God has blessed us with the chance to raise in His love and care.  I am often amazed and humbled by it all.  I honestly don't sugar coat anything to make it sound great when it actually isn't....because it is actually really really great!!  I can't thank God enough for the blessing these kids are to our lives.  Hearing their little voices calling me, asking me for "kiss, mama, kiss" is the sweetest thing ever!  Literally life changing and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone considering adoption.  Don't let the scary stories scare you off...there are wonderful loving kids out there need a mama and a papa so much!



Here are a few photos from the last few weeks.

My three Ukrainians

They love their Tetya (aunt) Ira.

Zhenya and his faux-hawk

I love this beautiful face!

Lunch with one of Jeff's high school buddies. Zhenya being scary!

First American snowmen