Equal Time

Elena is up-stairs sick. Nastia was sick a few weeks ago and then Teri and both stated home. When Nastia stayed home for most of the week Elena was all bent out of shape.She kept saying that's not fair that she gets to stay home and I don't. She was a little bratty.
   There was a time when the girls where first here (2009-2010) that Elena had a cough and said she felt bad. this went on for almost two weeks for the first week she stayed home. Over the weekend she seemed to be OK until she went to bed then she would cough. This went on for the second week and it made Teri and I feel like we were bad parents. We didn't know what was wrong with her. After a while it seemed that she was looking for attention and forcing herself to cough. I think she did admit to it or we just started to ignore it after the start of the third week.
  We all went out for pizza last night an invitation for Harriett. My mom and Eric, Lynn and Dennis were there also. Everyone eat well. Elena had been coughing in the mornings since Friday. This morning she said her stomach hurt. I let it go. She ate a good breakfast and was ready to go to school.
   With Elena, I feel rightly or wrongly you have to be careful with her. When she is sick or not sick, you can't tell the difference. She loves the attention, the specialness of being sick. What kid didn't or doesn't. When she said her stomach felt bad I felt it was time to put her to bed. She isn't sick enough to stay home, but Teri and I had a big fight last night over how I treat Elena. She is very much like me and I very much don't want her to grow up like me and miss lots of opportunities because all she wants to do is have fun like I did. I've talked to her about this and I hope it sinks in before it is too late.
   I have made the decision to write in this blog more about my life so that the girls in the future will have an idea where I am coming from and why I do things and if this is boring to others sorry.

Upstate 2012

Have you ever gone some place and thought you'd been there before? Well it happened to me over the weekend.

   In 1966, my parents bought a farm in West Fulton, NY for about $9,000.00. A tighty sum back then. I remember my parents raiding Karl and my piggy banks of all the cash to help come up with the down payment. real story,mom I didn't make it up.
   Zoom a few years into the future and we are all in  our twenties and Karl and Eric are having a feud that will last several years.
   A few years later, my Dad has died and my mom decides she can't afford the property and divides it up among the children. Karl and Eric are still having problems, so He gets several acres to the east and Eric, Ruth and I get the house and the remaining property. Ruth is tired of fighting and wants little or nothing to do with it. It causes problems among the three of us, so my mother decides to sell the property and Eric is given first choice, because he has the money.

   Around this time I sell Muller Dairies and I try to give my mother the money she invested in the dairy and half of the sale price. I came up short, but in all of this I ended up giving my mother back the 10 grand for the farm.
   Move a few more years in the future and Eric tries to fix the foundation once and for all. One thing leads to another and after somewhere north of $50,000.00, a complete remake of the house setting it up for the next century, but it is no longer the house I have known for over 40 years. I'm not saying He did anything wrong in the restoration, it is just not the house I knew and I guess since I don't own it it don't matter. He put in  new windows, nice and big, insulated the wall, added heating and stoves, siding, new walls. The end of the house fell off the main section and he rebuilt it, all different. He moved the door, added windows and got rid of the wood shed. There is added space, but it seems smaller some how. There was no space to get away from people like there used to be.

   Now the girls had a fun time and they can't wait to go back again. Teri and I slept  in the new family room/kitchen/dining room. Nastia and Elena started out in the side bedroom off the dinning room. Elena kept tossing and turning some I moved Nastia to where we were sleeping. The next night Elena joined us and slept with her mother.
  It was raining and cold the whole weekend. The girls tried to go fishing and had no luck. They ran around with Dennis and his friend and had a good time. They played monopoly and I had to end it to send them to bed.
   We went to the Stone Fort in Middleburg and I had a good time. I think the girls were bored. They had different guns that they showed how they changed over the years. They had a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator. I only saw a few minutes but he was good.

   Someone challenged Nastia to walk down the driveway at night, she got maybe twenty feet before they came back. The next day both kids wanted to walk the driveway. They took a walkie-talkie with them. When they got to the end of the driveway, I went to pick them up and gave them both a driving lesson just like my mom did when we were young. I might have started Elena at twelve a little young, but I think she will remember it as will Nastia as I remember the first time my Dad let me move the car in the driveway.

9-11 and my daughters

It is the eleventh anniversary of the World Trade Center being destroyed. What makes it more important then any of but the first is my daughters were required to write about it and Nastia asked me questions. It is interesting how it still brings me close to tears and for the girls it is history. In 2001 Nastia was coming up on her third birthday and Elena was just past one. And both were in Obluchya in the Jewish Autonomous region of Russia, with a mother who was not cooping too well, I guess.
  My memories begin around eight-thirty on the eleventh. I had just left the Rockleigh golf course on Paris Ave, The radio reported that a plane of undetermined size had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought about the story I read about the plane that hit the Empire State building and thought it was another idiot. I called Teri and made comments along that line. I continued toward Rockland to an unremembered next stop.
   I think Teri calls me a little while later and says a second plane has hit the World Trade Center. I tell her it sounds like terrorists now. We talk some more and speculate about the size of the planes and Teri says the Towers are still burning.
   I head to my Mothers house and turn on the TV to get a look at what is going on. The TV is showing continuous pictures of the fires. I could not believe how much smoke was coming from the buildings. I meant only to stay a few minutes, but I spent the rest of the day there. I was in front of the TV when the Pentagon was hit and when the South Tower came down the talking heads missed it and I'm yelling at the TV "Somethings happening, somethings happening!" I think they must of heard me because they noticed the building was no longer there and someone asked what happened to it.
   When the second one went they took the time to notice.
   The rest of the day is a fog. My  next memory of any sort is almost a week later, 9-11 was on a Tuesday, like this year, I took my boat out with my friend on Saturday in the Long Island Sound and we could still see the smoke coming from the Towers.
   When the fire finally went out and some predicted that it might burn months, they put up two spot lights where the Towers were and Teri and I drove down the Jersey coast and got in a line of car to drive by the nearest point to the site. We weren't the only ones with the thought.
   Sometime the next Spring I took my boat down the Hudson to go fishing and we got up close and it was this big hole in the skyline. This huge hole it was just so wrong.

The end of Summer and a busy August

It's the end of another Summer and a unique one at that. How often do you decide to adopt kids? It our case it is twice. We are one for two in that respect. Annya didn't want to come, while Leonid did. It is a shame we left the decision up to a twelve year old. I won't make that mistake again. Never again will I leave any decisions to a twelve year old. Should we go to war in the Middle East again, I will not ask a twelve year old to make the decision.

   In August we went to the beach and the Renaissances Faire and the Dutchess Country Fair. All within the same week or so.
   The Renaissance faire up in Sterling Forest, I have not been to since Scott, Tony's (pop pop) neighbor moved and quit giving us free tickets. Scott used to do 'Instant Sheakspeare', where He would be Shakespeare and get stuck on a line and ask the audience for a word and the actors on stage would try to rhyme the word and have it make sense in the scene. It was great fun. The Flaming Idiots used to preform there too. They left and went to Broadway for a few years. They were jugglers and comedy. Lots of fun.

   We went with Nancy and Amanda on a Saturday. We wandered around looking through shops and eating overly expensive and poorly tasting food. The Girls found a sprinkler and ran around under it until they were soaked. We started watching a show with three young girls full of tired jokes and double ententes. I left and when I came back everyone else ad moved on. The girls wanted to try knife throwing or axe throwing. We let them try the strong man thing where you hit a hammer and try to ring a bell and if you don't there is several unflattering thing said about you strength. We watched the Myrtle and Delores washing wenches. It was a show that hoped to make you laugh and feel foolish if you volunteered to help them. It succeeded at both. They were both dresses up as low class washer women with teeth blacked out and no class. They had one man put on and over sized pair of underwear and climb up on a table in the near by bar area and declare his love for one of the women.
   We finished the day with the girls trying to pull King Arthur's sword out of the stone.

CRANBERRY INN
We went to the Beach for three days or parts of three days. We left on a Monday and checked into the Cranberry Inn around three or so and went down to the beach.For about three hours the girls were in a rough surf having a blast. Everyone once in a while one or the other would say they had sand in their bathing suit and then they would tell me where. I didn't really need to know that information. I told them how to get sand out of the top of their suit by letting the waves wash the sand out.
We ate dinner that night at Olive Garden.
   The next day we were at the beach bright and early 10:30 after a nice breakfast at Bobbers. I let my wife spray sunscreen on me and spent the day under the umbrella watching the girls try out their new boogie boards. Once they got the hang of them they had a great time.

   We ate dinner on the boardwalk. The girls got twenty dollars each worth of tickets to ride the rides. They are daredevils and nothing scares them. They had lots of fun. When the tickets ran out Elena wanted to play some games and I got mad at her. I was put out because it seemed that everything, all of it and then some more was not enough for her. Her mother said let her play so we, her and I walked across half the Broadway looking for a game she had seen before. As things began to close a stop was put to her wandering. She decided to play the game where you shoot water at the clown and try to blow up a balloon to win. Her and Nasta played and didn't win. They didn't have enough for both to play again so Elena said Nasta could play which I didn't hear I felt that it was time to go. Teri did hear and kicked in the extra few dollars so both could play. Neither won. At that we headed for home and got there after midnight.
   The final half day we were there we went to Island Beach, which has no boardwalk and only a small concession stand with over priced items of poor quality. At the end of the day they even looked good. So I purchased a smoothie drank some of it and gave the rest to the girls. Nastia had asked for a smoothie at breakfast and we didn't think she would like it so we said no. It turns out she liked it so did Elena and both finished it. I thought it was poor quality.

DUTCHESS COUNTY FAIR
   We went to the Dutchess County fair during the final week of August. We had loads of fun last year and this year I made a point of coming back. We bought Nancy with us this year and followed the same plan as last year except we got there earlier this year. We started with lunch then we let the girls go on rides and we then went through some exhibits of knitting and photo and baking. We then went over to the Cow barn where the girls got to pet cows and advoid cow pies. They petted Sheep, Lambs and other barn yard creatures. They were disappointed again that they could not pet the horses, they bit. We ate somed dinner then went home. It was a two hour trip home and I was tired of driving so Teri did me a favor and drove home. We walked in the door a little after midnight. It was a nice day and a busy month. I good way to end summer. No one is looking foward to school. Things get to busy. Both girls go to Middle School this year. Look out Middle School.

Birthday Girl goes Elenapaloosa

Friday was Elena's birthday, she turned twelve. In the three years we have known her she has become a mouthy little girl with a heart of gold. There was a fear that she would get lost in the crowd. There is still that fear, but at home it doesn't happen. She is a quirky, funny charming child and we are proud to have her as our daughter. I don't know if she is destined for greatness but she wants to learn to play the guitar and the piano. I just have to get her a teacher.
   On Friday her and her sister spent the day at home. Camp is over and the three week summer school they are going to was off. Teri and I got home from work a little early and we got dinner going. Elena had asked for meatballs and spaghetti.

   Elena invited over Emanuel, Frankie and Nastia's friend Angelica. Only Emanuel and his sister were able to make it. It seems everybody is always away when it is Elena's birthday, it's not always easy to throw an Elenapaloosa, Yes her birthday celebrations have been reclassified as Elenapaloosas, just like that lesser known festival. Grammy and Aunt Madeline were here too, as was Aunt Nancy, Amanda and Amanda's friend Deandra. We had dinner and cake and ice cream, compared to the other birthdays, this one was a little low key. It was nice. I think we were all a little tired from our day. Elena didn't get her cell phone yet. She will use it to the point that it will have to be taken away from her. She'll be as bad as Amanda. Some of her gifts were a key board, Zombie Lab and a hand made pouch by Grammy.

A weeks perspective

I have not been a nice person to be around this week. When Teri asked me what was wrong I could not say. I thought early in the week I was tired. We went to dinner on Tuesday and I wanted to have a small dinner with the four of us. I forgot that was the reason I wanted to go to dinner until we sat down at the Hard Wok with eight people. I was a bear at dinner and it seemed to lift a little later that night, only to come back in force on Thursday when I took the kids to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner and Nastia stopped to look for the Three Stooges movie and Elena picked up some balls that had fallen into the isle and tossed them back into the bin. I unreasonable lost my cool and got angry at the girls to the point that we left the store.

   I think it all or most of it stems back to Leonid and Anya. It is the only thing that feels right. I didn't think I felt that bad about them leaving. We did put ourselves out there and welcome them with open arms into our house and they said they would rather live in an orphanage. I guess it hurt more then I knew.
   An other thing that has happened or not happened is since Leonid and Anya left there are no crowds at our house like there was, there are no dinners for ten, with most of them kids. I enjoyed the time, cooking for a full house of people.

   I have never mentioned this to anyone and I have only just barely admitted it to myself. I did exhale with relief when We were told they were not going to stay with us. I truly didn't not know how we were going to afford it. The remortgage of the house was going to yield only a few thousand dollars and that would of meant I would of hit my four-o-one-K for the balance. With the new mortgage and the price of houses not expected to change for the next decade or so I truly was not going to retire. I'm not the big bread winner, Teri is and she wants to retire in four years, it wouldn't of happened either. We were going to give up a lot for them. they will never know how much.
   If we were to receive a letter that they changed their minds and want to come back, I would be very conflicted about it, but I think I might vote to take them back. I... might, I think..I... might...maybe... I don't know, maybe.

Poker hands

A quick one. A few days ago I asked does a full house beat a pair. Well it turns out that when you don't have a full house a pair is appericated a whole lot more then before and you start remembering just how great the two of them are and how much you really love the two of them. They might be a little off kilter and different from everyone else, but that is what makes them so special to us and whatever the reason Anya and Leonid chose not to stay our girls are the best thing that has ever happened to us and I hope we never forget that. I love them so much.

Out of left field

I am shocked and I don't know how it happened. No wait I know how it happened, I just don't know why and if they know what they just did.

   We dropped Leonid and Anya off at the Hampton roads Motel last night where  Leonid was to give us his answer about if he and his sister were going to stay with us and be adopted. We were late to the hotel. the heat wave ended with some heavy rain storms and flooded a couple of lanes on the Cross Island Expressway. We found a place to eat dinner, a place called Angelina's, expensive and my dinner was very salty.
   When we got to the Hotel the kids were taken upstairs where Patrice and Linda talked to them. Everyone thought this was best. They came back a little while later and we accompanied Patrice and Lynda to Patrice's room.They told us the kids had decided to go back to Russia and not be adopted. Teri said she had expected it, I was floored. I didn't think they would ever pass up the opportunity  to have a family, even an imperfect one. It had to be better then where they were. We talked about options and laughed over a few jokes that were made (Teri, now you can get your siding for the house, trust me it was funny you just had to be there and need something to feel a little happy about.)

   We went out to the lobby. Patrice and Lynda went to get the kids so we could say good bye. Anya came first and we hugged her tightly. I watched Anya, she seemed unmoved when Teri hugged her.I don't know if she disconnected to feel less pain or if this was the way your learn to survive in an orphanage, I don't know. I hope she knows we care about the both of them and hope their life turns out better then I see it. Leonid was a little difficult to find and when he came to the lobby his eyes seemed a little glassy and I thought he was a little upset. We hugged said good bye to him, stood around for a few minutes, then left.
   It's amazing that it ended just like that. There was nothing to suggest in our parting that we were planning to spend the rest of our lives with these two.

   We went down the road to turn around when Teri says lets stop at Baskin Robins and get ice cream. Of course it took me back to the last time I had ice cream from Baskin Robin's it was in Birobidjhan and I made a joke how do you say Baskin Robin is Russian, Yea it was funny when I told it back then too. The moments gone so now I'm not going to tell you the answer. Anyway we spent sometime eating ice cream and there was really no talking about anything important.
   We got home late and went right to bed.
   Today, I did a count down until they left at three PM. Then I counted the hours they had been in the air and now they are in Moscow at a hotel and it is eight hours in advance of our time and a few hearty souls might be getting up for breakfast. ( it's 11:37 PM, Thursday, here and 8:37 AM Friday morning in Moscow Russia)

   I hope they live a long and happy life and find what they are looking for and did not find here. I will think about them often for a long while and then occasionally for the rest of my life, but I will always wish them the best.

And in the end the love you make is equal to the love you take*

It is a few hours before we drop Leo..d and A..ya off at the Hampton Inn on Long Island. They are to be dropped off between Seven and Seven-thirty. We still don't know what is happening. If they, Leo..d want to live here. It has gotten to the point that we feel we have given all the power in the relationship over to a sixteen year old kid and we have quit trying to convince him to stay risking him and his sister staying. I hope to be able to show this to him some day so he can see all the problems kids put adults through and maybe parents.
   I really didn't think it would bother me as much as it does that they are leaving. I care about what happens to the two of them and want the best for them. If they, Leo..d decide to stay in Russia I will wonder for the rest of my life what happened to them.

   He just walked by and went into the kitchen. I had wanted to let him drive a car a little before he went and that never happened. There seemed like there was going to be a lot of time and here it is all gone already. I hope they will choose to stay. A..ya would stay if it wasn't for her brother. He is the one who can't seem to make up his mind. God take care of them whatever happens.
*Thank You Paul McCartney

Bridge of Hope 2012 and the Empire State Building

Bridge of Hope party 
   The weather forecast called for rain and possible thunder storms with heavy down pours. One hundred and seventy nine people were expected and don't you know it was the usual bright sun shiny high 90's day it always is. It seems that after everyone of these parties I complain of getting sun burn on my head even though I wore my hat all day long.

   The party was it's usual, like the weather, really great. Plenty of food and lots of people who remember me and I have trouble remembering them. You think a salesman would do better.
   The girls got in the pool and pretty much never got out. Nastia hung and I really mean hung on all the really good looking guys. I'm going to have to talk to her about that. Might become a real problem real soon. A...a was in the other end of the pool with a younger friend and Leo..d, well he was hanging out with the older kids doing back flips into the water and he got some girls phone numbers and or face book address. Amanda sets him up with a facebook address and it is too late to tell her no so I tell her no for any of the girls, for now.
   The party ran on well past the four PM end. Patrice,Teri and I with Liz all sat down to rehash the Leo..d saga. He was told even if he makes a decision after he goes back the door is not closed. Where the money will be I don't know. We were going to reside the house, fixed the stairs going upstairs and fix the fireplace when all this happened.
The Empire State Building

   We went to a tourist trap today and I hope to never go back. It sucked close to five hundred dollars out of our back account today. I know I didn't have to go up to the one-hundred and second floor for an additional seventeen dollars, but I thought in for a penny in for a pound. I'm not coming back so lets do it all. We stopped in at a Wendy's next to the Empire State building to get drinks. Outside the Empire State building there were these guys trying to sell tickets to help advoid the long lines to get to the one hundred and eighth floor for forty-five dollars. I was going to say let's do it wheen Teri said No. It was a good thing. There was no line and it was an addational sixteen dollars on top of the twenty-five to get to the top . We purchased souvineers for Leonid and Anya. He got a small watch and something else. She got a replica of the building and something else. We had to steer them away from Hoodies for $45.00. We still spent over $100.00 on gift for them to bring most likely to the Orphanage director. Not a bad thing. We left and went to find some place to eat and ended up at Bon Ton Korean chicken across the street. It was good.

   Leo..d was not part of the group and didn't want me to take his picture any more I tried to explain I had to, but gave up and snuck pictures.when he wasn't looking. My wife added to the tension by giving up and saying if he wants to come he can I give up. We gave him power he should of never had and I thought she was right If he didn't want to be adopted he should of never written the letter, he did write it, but now it seems he doesn't mean it. Does he understand the dog and pony show this has become? (boy I'm pulling the cliche's out of thin air tonight) We have pulled out all stops and bent or broken lots of our own rules to make it happen for him and his sister. His sister has gotten lost in the shuffle with everything going on with him. She could be the next Elena.

   Then he'll help with the groceries or give you the face, the one that looks like the little boy he is and you think that maybe you can give it another chance even though you are well past the safety range in everything,your time, your patients, your bank account, everything, but you are willing to maybe try again, and again maybe.

Why are people saying such nice things?

I have never considered myself an adventuresome person. I went into this second adoption with the full knowledge that I knew what I was doing and nothing could be further from the truth.
   A..ya has connected with the girls and has made the terrible twosome a threesome. Her brother, who never talked, smiled and seemed to want to disappear into the wall paper smiles on a regular basis when asked questions or is having a good time.  All  Teri and I did was give them some space and not yell at them. It will all be different if they decide to come back and stay. They only get the choice because of Leo..d's age of sixteen. How can You force someone that old, yet that young to make a change like this and also let him decide an issue this important when he is so young. I know it is a convoluted sentence, I find it hard to put it in his hands. I am confident that he will decide to come to America, but what if he doesn't.
   He has his sister's future in his hands and that is a big responsibility. I wouldn't want it at that age. He doesn't know America well enough to get the full picture of what he will be missing if he goes back. I have never been prouder to be an American then I have since we adopted children and I started really thinking about what we have here and how great it is even with a government that doesn't seem to want to do anything for the people but make big long windy pronouncements about what the other side is doing wrong.
   We dropped Leo..d off at camp and made plans to have Scott and Sasha Evans pick him up from camp and spend sometime with him and I would pick him up in the early evening giving me a chance to talk with Patrice who would get some quiet time to talk with Leo..d without his sister around.
   It turned out to be a good talk. Leo..d likes his hosts, us and feels his sister has benefited from her relationship with the girls and he has to have a talk with his sister about staying. or not. It was explained to him the advantages of staying here vs going back. He knows very little about what he could do here. He knew about the three levels of school, but nothing else. He was told he would have to work hard and that he would not be alone. He would have a network of people to help him , but he would have to work hard to learn the language. He would get ESL to help him.
   I went by to pick him up about seven. I drove up to the house and didn't know what to do when I got there. The  Evens are very down to earth people , but I went to their front door anyway. I rang the bell three time and got no answer. I listened and heard nothing. I began to wonder if I'd gone to the wrong home and maybe this was only the place from the party tomorrow. I walked around the back and a small group of people greeted me. I was offered a drink and I sat down. I wanted Patrice to tell me right off the bat that Leo..d wanted to stay, but I let the conversation get going and I let her get into it. There was no "well he wants to stay" it was the next best thing and maybe in the long run an insight into who this young man is. He wanted to talk to his sister about it and would make a decision soon. He was open and you didn't have to pull answers out of him Patrice was surprised and pleased.
   I stayed about an hour, I felt comfortable and enjoyed talking with everyone. They said a lot of nice stuff about us and I don't know what we have done to deserve it. This is not false modesty it is the truth. Teri and I have done nothing really special, but I guess that was what was needed. I guess a full house may beat a pair in this case.We will see very soon.

Does a pair beat a full house?

we are coming down to the wire. Tomorrow Sasha and his dad pick up Leo..d and they get to hang out together from two until i pick him up sometime around ten I guess. We'll talk to Liz and Scott tomorrow and get a time.

   Today I dropped Leo..d off at camp and when I picked him up I had what Rockland Bakery calls a chocolate stick, a long pastry rolled up and filled with chocolate and Cinnamon and sugar with chocolate drizzled over the top. I wish I could say it was on purpose that I had it but it wasn't. I picked it up off the front seat so he could sit down and it clicked. I liked it I think. It has become tradition to feed him after camp, it has improved our relationship.
   In all of this poor A..ya has gotten lost. The good thing is she is doing well, I hope. She is still quiet. She listens when I ask her to do something and I hope she is having fun. When we asked her if there was something she wanted to do before she left she said no there was nothing. The only thing she does besides swiming is play the Barbie game on the computer. She has been away from her brother as alot and I think that is good for both.
   It's an important weekend. Leo..d get to sit down with Patrice and have a talk. Teri and I have started talking about the future a little tonight and Nastia has said she would like them to stay.I then told her if they come back they can't leave. She thenasked if it would be like her and her sister, I said yes. We didn't go further for some reason. We will talk to everyone this weekend together and apart to get their feelings.

A summer chill turns warm by evening.

The day started out bad when Leo..d took what Teri thought was an attitude when she wanted to bring him to camp. It turned out he felt it was too early to go to camp. I took him and he got there when everyone else was getting there. Teri asked if I thought he didn't like her. I said no, he didn't want to get to camp too early.
   In the afternoon when I picked him up he was happy and asked if Amanda, Brandon and Deandra were at the house. He hung out with them until seven when they went home.
   We asked Leo..d and A..ya if there was something special they wanted to do before they left on Friday. We had to call Scott to get the correct answer. They want to get souvenirs for the orphanage director so we will go to the city on Sunday. Maybe Manhattan or Brighton Beach (a Russian community) it will be fun.
   And just like 08' we are already beginning to miss the two of them. The house will seem quiet just like last time. Will we adopt them? I don't know.

Summertime and the living is easy...but

This day could be looked back on as the beginning of the end or the reverse the end of the beginning. Teri and I recieved an e-mail from Patrice about a conference call. We said we would be able to around two in the afternoon.
   We talked for about a half an hour with Patrice and Linda. We discussed options and we tried to figure out what is going on inside the mind of a teenager. Which is like trying to find a polar bear in a snow storm. We decided it was letting him call the shots if he did not finish camp and if we had Alexi, Liz's son hang around with him at camp.
   We decided that Patrice would sit down with Leo..d* with us not around and try to find out what he knows about his possible future in America and if he wants to come and is he willing to make the effort and if not would he let A..ya* be adopted without him.

   It seemed like a waste of time after the late afternoon and evening we just had. A...da* invited her friends over De...a*, Se..na* and Bra...n*. Bra...n* and Leo..d* seemed to get along and everyone got in the pool and when I came back with the girls there were seven people in the pool. They had chicken fights and splashed around then they all got on the trampoline and had an other good time. Just by chance I had cooked extra food for later in the week, so when A...da* came in and asked if they could eat over it was an easy yes. The Kitchen was crowded and the tables outside were full with people and as the title says It's summertime and the living is easy...
    Ned Stark in 'Game of Thrones' would say "but Winter is coming". Good book try it.
*for my ever lovin wife T..i

The last ten days

After my long rambling blog of this morning Teri and I ate a quiet breakfast around noon. At one PM we hadn't seen Leo..d yet so I knocked on his door and went in. He was watching movies on the computer. I didn't say anything, I let it go and went out to do yard work. It was hot in the low 90's and everyone should of been in the pool. It was empty until Teri and Nancy came back from the store and got in. When I got in there was a total of eight people in the pool. If we go ahead with the adoption we need a bigger pool.
   Everyone horsed around in the pool. I tried to keep it calm, but the girls wanted to rough house and then the fifteen year old in me came out and there was pandemonium. I was troubled that Leo..d and A..ya played together and the girls played with me including A..ya, but Leo..d never joined in. It is tough to join the two groups. I really went into this with rose tinted glasses. I'm sorry and I don't know who to apologize to. Is it Leo..d and A..ya for not being prepared to handle this or to the girls and Teri who might get hurt by this or to myself who will alway wonder if he did the right thing and who did not think it through. Again God help us all.

I didn't sign up for this

I don't know if it was a mistake, or if we shouldn't of done it at all, but we sat down with Leo..d and A..ya and someone who spoke Russian and had a long talk. We asked them if they were enjoying themselves and if there was any food that they would like us to cook. And a few other questions. They answered that they we're having fun and they would like to have some borst. We then asked them if there was anything they would like to do while here. A..ya smiled and said Mickey Mouse ,Leo..d snarled and she no longer wanted to go there.
   We also asked if they would like to come back and live here. I think A..ya would of said yes, Leo..d said he hasn't made up his mind and I'm concerned. He said they have family back in Russia. We asked Leo..d if he loved soccer because that was the reason we put him in soccer camp. He said he liked it and camp was too long. It makes me think He did not write that letter, Someone, like an official in one of the orphanages thought they were doing a good deed. It did get them over here, but it may have back fired and set in motion something that began on a lie and was taken to the next step with a good deed on our part and we put him in soccer camp where he is not happy, but will go. Does all this ruin the two of them staying in America or is this not a good fit or do we have to work harder?    I  don't like the way Leo..d controls A..ya. I think it is cute the way she takes care of him, but I don't see it in reverse. He is a taker, a sullen teenager. She has given him her camp bag and taken an older one, told everyone to be quiet when she thought he was a sleep, she came into the car and all happy, when she realized he was not, she got quiet, in general she has taken care of him. It reminds me of an abusive relationship, a bad marriage, what their family life might of been like, I'm worried. I'm worried about both of them and what he might do to the quality of life our other two daughters have now. He has already told them to shut up when he was unhappy over camp. If we continue with this and I'm having trouble imagining us doing it and not doing it. Can you just toss to souls to the curb like that when you see what might be, good and bad or do you fight and make it work. One of my favorite lines attributed to Mother Teresa. She said "God doesn't give you more then you can handle, I just wish he didn't think I could handle so much." or something like that. I see a lot of therapy in the future for them and they won't get it in Russia.
   If we go through with this and it goes wrong and I see a lot of ways it can. The one that comes up the most is an angry young man, who has trouble speaking English or has given up, turns to drinking, get violent and makes five people fearful. I have seen nothing in him to believe he has the ability to work hard and come out the other end a happy young man. I'm afraid he will connect up with the wrong people and in his angry and frustation get violent and I don't know. My wife says I can find a dark lining on a silver cloud and I can.
    Maybe they are the next reason God has chosen this path for my life, a life I didn't ask for or ever imagine. Maybe Leo..d is my project. I like my life now. The two girls are fun and it is busy.
   Adopting kids is like sex as a teenager. It's really exciting and fun in the beginning, but when it's over are you ready to take on the responsibility of more souls? I don't know, I just don't know. There is no way to answer that question. On top of it these souls are damaged. Damaged different then Nastia and Elena were and still are or we are. Is there enough fight left in the two of us to do this or have we taken on more then we can handle? It won't be easy. I had wanted to tell Leo..d that it would be a hard road if he was going to come here and he would get frustrated, but he would just have to double down and he would come out the other side one day a better person for it. I have always been proud of the fact that our children have been pretty close to normal, but with a Russian accent.
   I don't know how to end this. I guess I'll just stop writing... God help us.

The Week in review

Today Teri picked up Leo..d. She was with Nancy and they had not eaten, so the three of them went to Charlie Browns to have a late lunch. Feeding Leo..d and time seem to be working with him. He is more relaxed and smiles more. the other day my mother said Hi to him and he smiled at her. today he burned his hand on a pot and Teri was mothering him, when she threw a cold pad t him he smiled about it. I'm sure he still doesn't like his camp, but there is little we seem to be able to do. There is so little time and everything takes a special request to the local government and I'm sure him using the town pool will be approved' there is just no time. It is ending so very soon, too soon.
   Financially, everything is still in the air.
   Al three girls seem to be getting along except for that one incident at the barbecue the other day. Everyday a handful of people say good bye to the girls, even A...a a few people say good bye to.
   They are upstairs watching TV and Teri is taking Nancy home, it is quiet except for the music Leo..d plays that seeps through the vent in his floor.It could work, if they want to stay, if the three girls can make it work in that tight space, if Leo..d doesn't start to resent Amanda walking through his room every five minutes. If the girls don't resent the two new ones, if the new ones don't resent the original ones If all the girls don't get their period at the same time. I guess you understand it could work, maybe.
   I never did go into detail about what happened the first day with Leo..d. Teri took him to camp at Paramas catholic high on Paramas rd, Paramas, they were early, Teri calls me concerned they were at the wrong school, they were just early. Teri calls and I have to confirm the location to be correct. That was tough considering I lost all of his paperwork, everything. Maybe he was bothered by the concern in Teri's voice, he didn't want to stand and I had to pick him up at Teri's job and I got stuck in traffic and didn't get there until about ten. I get him to camp and we walk around and he doesn't want to go but I insist and we find the guy who runs the camp who just happens to have a coach who speaks Russian. I think problem solved. Leo..d needs sneakers and I go get him a pair, I drop them off while he is in a movie.At the end of the day I pick him up and find out he doesn't like the camp because no one is trying to make friends with him and he has no one to talk to and the coach who speaks Russian is not around much. It seems he is throwing up any excuse to not go to camp. I was hurt. I felt he didn't appreciate all our hard work. Fair or not we thought we were giving him a huge gift, allowing him to spend two weeks practicing his passion, but no he looks like he is using every excuse not to go to the camp. We try to get him in other camps, but the lateness, his age and our lack of money prevent any change. It hurt worse because the previous day we let him pick out whatever soccer gear he liked and hasn't really used yet I think. I hate to always go back to money, but if we adopt and at that time it was doubtful, now not so doubtful, I'm more optimistic it will happen. We had spent over three hundred dollars on equipment.
   With a little advice from Patrice, we decide to tell Leo..d that he has to go to the camp, there is no other options, he didn't like that. Being the stoic Russian as I said before he did what was asked of him.
  Yesterday after camp Leo..d went to the West Nyack Swim Club where he spent time with males and did backflips off the high diving board. He ate pizza with my brother, his two sons, his wife and my mom. It was good for him.
   A...a, no drama.

From one disaster to another...

   Last night Nastia was told to comb her hair before she went to bed. I went up to kiss them good night and I notice she had not combed her hair. Disregarding a direct request like that I have found out over the last few years drives me crazy. I tell Nastia to get out of bed and come down stairs. I was so mad, too mad so I let teri talk to her. She stands there brushing her hair while we talk to her about responsibility. Teri tells me after she leaves to give the money for the trip to a councilor so it doesn't get lost.
   The girls went to six flags in Jackson NJ today. We had to get them there before 7:45 to catch their buses. Leo...d goes to soccer camp like usual. He still doesn't like it but like the Russian he is he will put up with it. Girls are to be picked up at 8pm.
   I pick Leo..d up at three pm and ask him if he is hungry he says yes and it has become the ritual to get him something to eat now everyday after camp. Feed teenagers and they may like you. We stop off at the rest stop on the Garden State which has Nathans, Burger King, Sabaro and Dunkin. I point and say hot dog, pizza Hamburger. He surprises me when he says Hot Dog and Pizza. Which is what he got. He eats it and I take him to Lynn and Erics so they can take him to the West Nyack Swim Club. A Russian speaking kid Max might come. He doesn't, but Leo..d and Billy and Dennis and Lynn all have a good time. They then take him to a dinner of Pizza. He then spends time at their house playing video games and I pick him up at 9:45pm.
   Now the girls, I am so very unhappy with them. After last night and the hair I feel I want to try and get Nastia to become a little more responsible. So I give her twenty dollars and Elena twenty dollar against my wifes wishes. I figure both won't lose the money.
   When I go to pick them up I find out someone spent fifteen dollars on a drink and the other pissed away her twenty on something else, An..a got nothing. A Camp councilor had to buy her some food, as well as buy some for Elena. I had trouble understanding it when they told me. I kept asking why didn't she get food? Where did the money go? I'm still having trouble understanding how these two very thoughtful girls could of left no money for her? Nastia is the same person who asked us for a few rubles to give a homeless women in Moscow a few years ago. I am completely at a loss.

All little problems...it's all good

All right. I was nasty the other day. I was unfair and the jokes were not funny and  they were also nasty. It's just tough when you put all your energy and good intensions into something and it just doesn't come out the way you thought it would. I was hurt and felt Le...d didn't appericate our efforts. He is a stranger in a strange land. It maybe paradise, but it is still strange and scary.

   I got up early to do deliveries and when I got home everyone was up and we had breakfast. We found out Le,,,d and his sister don't like bacon the way Nastia and Elena do. The latter two had BLT's and the former had eggs over easy.
   Teri and Nancy then went to the store, I read a book, took a nap and the kids swam, had a nerf gun fight and watched TV. We are letting a lot of rules get broken. We were told don't sweat the little stuff.
   We then went to a barbeque at my mothers and it was real hot and all the kids went swimming and Billy has a friend who speaks russian who we are trying to get Leo..d together with. Sasha won't work out he is away for a while. He was the boy at the party on the 29th who befriended Leo..d. We will see what will happen. A...a has enjoyed herself the whole trip. She was made to cry by Elena what happened has to do with someone pushing the other off the float and the other getting upset and someone hit the other, is that clear?

   Went to the Nyack fireworks. Leo..d seemed more relaxed and had a good time. Both new kids have long legs it turns out and I had to stop them before the three of us lost the others. It's nice to have someone I can walk with. Fireworks were crowded and it was hot we all started to get a little cranky.
   At the end of the fireworks the sky was flashing with lightening, we didn't get anything it looked like we would.
   The world looks a little better at this end of the week, then it did at the other end. I hope it gets better everyday. It could,,, really,... it could.

Government publications

I recieved my government publication from cooperative extension today entitled 'Your teenager and the world around them' published 1972. You can get your free copy too, if its worth the stamp. On page one it says 'Do not expect your teenager to be greatful if you give them exactly what they want.'
   I'm really pissed. I am trying so hard with our new teenager and I am making no progress. I know there is a lot of baggage here and teenagers are not the same as a humans, but it doesn't seem fair. I have done everything in my power to make Leonid happy, to make an enchanted two weeks and all Iv'e suceeded  in doing is to split him from his sister for eight plus hours a day for the next two weeks. He smiles at my wife easily. she didn't force him to go back to soccer camp then leave him there to get him sneaker, which I took the time to pick out special. but then I leave the sneakers there while he is watching a movie.
   Anya and the girls are doing find she was happy until she got into the car and she got quieter when she found out Leonid was not happy. There is a cute side to the relationship. We went to see the fireworks last night he stayed home. When we got home and she thought he was asleep she made the girls go up the stairs quietly.
  Felex Festa camp is full so he can't go there. I think that is the only reason he is not happy at the soccer camp. I got one slim option and that is to get a pool pass and let him go after camp for an hour with his sister. I'll check it out tomorrow.

The calm after the storm

I got back from dropping the Russian Ladies and Scott off after 5PM. I wasn't hungry and I didn't know what to do with myself. I remembered that when the Russian ladies looked at the pool it needed to be cleaned so that was what I did. After a while Nastia comes out and askes me to put some air in the soccor ball we gave to Leonid. I put air in it and we both go upstairs to get him to play with us. He is his usual so far stoic self and doesn't want to come out and kick the ball around. we watch him play on a russian web site on the computer, I put a hand to his shoulder rub it and we leave. He comes out and joins us. I was shocked. He has tried to make himself as invisable as possible and for some reason he decided to come out and kick the ball around with us.
   We start by just kicking it to each other, which evolves into a game of keep away, which becomes a game of someone defending the goal with a defender against two people trying to score. We are out there for half an hour or so. We are all hot and sweating so the kids head over to the pool and I get my camera out and Teri and I sit and watch them swim and do dangerous things on the trampoline. We go inside and have a snack around eight o'clock. Around quarter to nine we head down to the ice cream palor to have ice cream. All the success we had getting Leonid to be part of our family seemed to all fall apart once we got to the ice cream palor. There was a carnival going on across the street and it was crowded. When it came time to order He didn't want ice cream and he wanted to go back home. He said he wasn't sick, he just wanted to go home. I said five minutes. When we left he was in the lead and got further and further away from us as we went towards home. I still don't know what was wrong.
   Today after my long quiet morning I made breakfast. And if I didn't learn the first time I surely won't learn the second time. I made Russian breakfast items. I made lazy Varenyky, a cheese and flour concocion that you boil for a few minutes. Anya seemed to recognize it because she took a large spoonful of it tasted it then didn't touch it. Nastia of all people, who doesn't like cheese liked it. She didn't know there was cheese in it.
   The other item I made was Russian Kefir pancakes or Oladi. Some had apples in them. They were not as bad as the Lazy Varenyky. Teri insisted I make sausages, which turned out to be the big hit of breakfast.
   We then went to buy clothing for the kids. We went through the gift card Teri's friends gave her. They are always there for her and are always first in line, god bless them. Anybody got $70,000.00 to help with an adoption? We were out most of the day and got all caught in a thunder storm up at the Spring Valley Market place. We ate a late lunch at IHOP and somewhere along the way I lost all of Leonid's paperwork. Teri told me not to take it so she got to say I told you so and it made her day.
   We got back about six and all the kids went swimming and at nine we will go see the fireworks but we will miss the carnival because of time and money. Remember to sent your donations to the bridge of hope

A quiet morning to reflect on yesterday

Everyone is in bed still and I'm here quietly thinking about yesterday. It was a long hot day and if I could show you pictures of all the events and highlights of yesterday it would take hours.
   The day started at Ten AM when I picked up Scott at Tolstoy Nursing Home in Valley Cottage. I barely knew Scott and He just like me must of been wondering what we would talk about on the hour trip to Danbury. We ended up talking about our shared love of history. What made it easier was Scotts ability to tell a good story and him having a very interesting story about Tolstoy, his twelve kids, V.G. Chertkov and the founding of the Tolstoy foundation. It is a long and very interesting story. Too long to tell now The abridged version Tolstoy had twelve kids, his youngest born in the 1880's when Tolstoy was about 60 or so established the Tolstoy foundation in 1939 and around 1972 the Tolstoy nursing home is built and filled with people who were around during the Russian revolution. Scott worked in the nursing home and residents would tell him stories. A women who would die at the age of 101remembered being at the Smolinsk school when the Czar visited and she remembers the aplause was so loud that plates on a table were shaking. Things like this is what make history special for me.
   The real interesting part is when relatives of V.G. Chertkov, who was friends with Tolstoy during the last twenty-seven years of his life start to investigate his life they come across all the things he did, like building the first library in Moscow. And how when a group of his desidents go to a town named after him and the whole town shows up to greet them.
   Scott and I arrive at the hotel early and expect to have to wait. We are at the desk waiting to have the Russian women told we are here when one of the Irenes walks in and she goes and gets the other who were ready and waiting for us even though we were half an hour early.
   The trip from Danbury is either in Russian or no talking. At one point Scott asks me if I have any questions for the ladies, but I don't. My mind has been filled with other thing and the thought of questions never surfaced. The ladies ask about the girls school and everyones camp. They are told all three girls will go to camp at the school Nastia and Elena will attend in the fall, They would like to see the school. We make a little side trip first to Germonds pool where the three girls will get to swim for three hours. The ladies walk around and take some picture of each other with the the pools in the backround.
   Valentina, the oldest of the group aske me why they only get to swim for three hours. It was a good question. I had not real answer, so I told her they play games and have lunch at the school until they go to the pool. It is the truth, knowing the kids I think they would rather go swimming all day long.
   We stop at the school and the doors were open so we go inside and a janitor is inside and I explain to him that we are hosting two kids from Russia and theses are their escorts and they would like to see the school and he lets us. We look in the Gym then find an open class room, which was the class room Nastia happened to take Art in.
   We get to the house a little after one PM it is hot and everyone goes inside and sits in the living room. This is where it gets interesting. Nastia comes in for a moment, then leaves. The other two come in and leave. Elena stays upstair watching TV. Valentina in the rocker, Scott and one Irena on the couch near the window. The other Irena in a little antique folding chair near the couch and Natsha in the arm chair across the room. Me, I'm standing infront of the TV too uptight to sit, fielding questions from the ladies afraid to leave them alone to help Teri with the food.
   They ask questions and the one question like the one in Berobidzhan from the Russian judge who asked why are you adopting in Russia and not America is asked. Well this was less a question and more of a statement. Scott listens, hesitates, then reminds me he is just translating and doesn't want to insult me. I tell him he can't, all questions are fair game unless they are nasty. So he says Valentina says in Russia the kids are expected to come and sit with company for at least a little while when they first are here. Are you raising princeses? Looking back it was a fair question. Everyone should of come down to say hello to the guests and they didn't. There was lots of confusion and I don't do well in situtions where I feel people are judging me. Teri was busy with the food and I was busy with the guests. The girls are forced to come down. Elena is the most reluctent to show up. I don't remember if it was her or Nastia who slides in behind Natasha and the back of the chair and hangs her feet off the side. I try to get her to sit up and I'm answering less taxing questions when Teri saves me and tells me to cook the hot dogs and brown the chicken on the grill. Of course the chicken, having been in the crock pot is cooked and falling off the bone so browning it with barbeque sauce is not easy. When it starts to stick and fall apart I take it off the grill and put the pieces with the best side up. I fill up the rest of the platter with hot dogs and bring it inside. For some reason we had trouble sitting down to eat everyone was hungry and even though it was said by different people lets eat it didn't happen, which was fie except it was getting late and they had dinner plans in CT.
   We eat outside, where the temp had seemed to dip a little into the bearable range. We eat under umbrellas near the pool and about 3PM are ready to leave.
   We all pile into Teri's new Toyota Highlander and except for stoping for a bottle of wine and forgetting a bag at te house, we go back for it was an uneventful trip. Oh, yeah, I forgot I was tired on the trip back to Danbury, nothing happened Teri to your car. I did drive on a few rumble strips and a couple of white lines, but I stopped for a cold soda and was fine on the trip home and didn't kill anybody.
  One of the funnier moments was everytime we got out of the car, Valentina, who was sitting in the second seat would get out and close the door walking away leaving Natasha and one of the Irenes in the third seat and everytime she would close the door before I could get there. So I would up the door and help the two out of the far back seat.
   There is still a lot that happened with just the kids so I'll put it in a seperate posting.
   I was so involved with what was happening I didn't take pictures until the kids went swimming later. That is the next blog entry.

This is our little secret

You can't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you. It'll be our little secret, or what passes for one when you post on the internet. It's just too much too really think about all the little rules and all, but if you want to be in the game, you got to play by their rules. It is after all their ball and they will take it back to... with them no matter who suffers.

    After I quit working for Marcus I thought it would be a long time before I went to Ct. much less Danbury, so it was with an ironic feeling that I took my first two and went to a Bridge of Hope gathering up on Federal lane in Danbury yesterday. All day long I felt like I was just a car length away for him, my former boss Tom. He cast that long of a shadow over me while I was there.
   The girls and I arrived at the Quality Inn down from the Ford dealership where Marcus got me my company car five years ago about nine-thirty in the morning and I felt a little silly when I went to the desk and asked for the Russians. The person behnd the desk knew exactly who I wanted and told me to go throught two sets of doors and go outside at the doors near the pool.
   Through the doors there were maybe forty or so people. Kids playing and Adults talking in little groups. A group of boys were out on the lawn kicking around a soccer ball. One skinny kid with brown hair and no shirt would be one of the two kids I came to see. The other, slightly shorter very thin with long dark hair and very quiet reminded me of Elena. Like Elena a bathing suit would just hang off her this first year.
   The first person we meet, Patrice has a cane and later she explains how she is trying to avoid knee surgery. There are many familar faces among the group, Terry and Liz who both always seem to be there at all the important functions and always give so much.

   We first are introducted to the girl, a very sweet faced girl who you just want to wrap up in your arms and hug here like you hug your first two, but I fear she would break she is so thin. Her brother is waved to come from the field and he comes up a bit reluctantly it seems. Mustering all his sixteen year he looks me in the eye and gives me a firm hand shake and impresses me all over again. His letter being the first time. You can't help but love him. We all stand around ackward in the silence for a little while before people being to wander off. I find Nastia a little while later making a connection over jump rope with Annya.

  A little after ten we form a convoy and head over to Chuckie Cheese for some fun. I remember the places from years ago for little kids. It was fun for all ages. Everyone, all the kids got a handful of tokens and went out into the game room to explore. I bought fifteen dollars more of tokens and walked around giving them to the four kids as it seemed necessary. The first time I tried to give some to Leonid he waved his hand no, not to give him any. He was trying not to accept anything from anyone. I think to avoid being a burden. I just dump a few coins in his cup , smile and walk away. The next time he doesn't protest. I split up the coins between the four and some are wasted on games that require a pull of a lever to dispense tickets, games that make me crazy when they are played because it makes the coins disappear too quickly with very little fun.

much fun was had by most

  Everyone ate a  little pizza and about one PM we took a half hour ride to Monroe CT. On the way there Nastia and Elena talk to one of the translators, Angela Cesarz about what an english word is in russian both girls were able to remember more then I expected. About twenty mile north of Danbury we arrive at the home of two more very giving and nice people Charles and Kathleen Hickey. They opened their house to a bunch of strangers and a large group of kids where anything could happen, thank you.

   There is a large pool a very nice home and plenty of food and drink. It's warm and sunny a great day for swimming. Teri shows up a little after two in the afternoon and we hang around until about six-seven in the evening when we help bring the kids back to the hotel. It is the first time the girls and I get to spend time with the kids and of course the girls are asking silly questions using pigeon russian to ask. I finally have to tell them to stop. We drop them off at the hotel and get home a little after nine and remember there is more for us to do for the next day when we pick them up to bring them home. Sometime after midnight Teri gets to bed.

I just wish he wouldn't trust me with so much

Sometimes I feel like I'm on top of my game and have everything under control. Then I wake up and realize just what I haven't done.
   I was crusin along at my job and the girls are at camp and the twenty-ninth is still a few days away, then it's like I get slapped in  the face with all these things that now suddenly crowd my calender.
   The bunkbeds are up. The office is set up with the bed in it, we even took in a Tuesday evening discount movie tonight.

Waiting to be called

   I had called HSBC to get two months of checking account records for the house refinance even. Then smack, Elena lost three teeth and we feel she should see a dentist just to make sure it's OK. Nastia is complaining about pain in the gums on her right side, During the switch over to First Niagara EZ pass didn't get switched and I didn't know and we are getting letters with fifty dollar fines and I have to call them. My old boss has found out where I now work and he is going to declare war, I expected it, but couldn't it happen some other week then this week when we are expecting our guests! The checking account has been battered lately and it didn't need the switch over from HSBC and the fines that are coming from EZ pass and even my little brokerage account (far littler lately) hit me with a fee for no money being in an account to transfer to the brokerage account. I couldn't find where to stop the transfer so I figured no problem, well problem, $25.00 problem.
   It's the begining of the end of the Muller family of four the end of this week. We'll be a family of six starting friday mornining at eight-thirty for the next two and a half weeks. If everything goes well and I can't imagine differently, we will start the paperwork in ernest by the end of the month to go to Russia . Right now as I said earlier, we were trying to bask in the calm glow of between insanities.
   We went to see Brave tonight, and it was typical Pixar. A well done film that touched your heart. There was one part where the father was waving good bye to several ships and he sees his sons have gotten on one ship, so the father gets in a small row boat with his two dogs and begins to row out after them while the two dogs are barking and enjoying themselves. I got a warm feeling and for some reason I knew the father wasn't mad at them, just a little frustrated and he wouldn't trade his one legged life for anything. I can relate.
  It's the second day of camp and the girls ( two, soon to be three) got to go swimming at Germonds pool. It was the first time I'd ever been there even though back in the early seventies I did get a pass to go to the pool. I could just never get my friend to go with me, so I never went.
   It's a nice place. It's got three pools , three diving boards and some grassey area to take in the sun.

Elena graduates from 5th grade in Congers

   We finally got our translator for Saturday when we host the chapperones. His name is Scott and anyone with a sharp memory will remember the name. He was the person who introduced us to Mosha, yes that Mosha. The Mosha of 'You child is severly depressed and you must bring her to church tomorrow so I can talk to her and see her' Now the answer to your question is, yes I might be a little crazy but it has nothing to do with Scott. He is offering his services on a day off of his and I can't thank him enough. He said He has not talked to Mosha in over a year. And again he is using a saturday to spend with people he barely knows and he is doing us a favor and I still can't thank him enough. He is Anna's god son. Anna from Tolstoy Nursing home,whom I trust completely. She is just one of those people.