Happenings for July

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Hi everyone....sorry I have not posted in a while. We have been really busy playing this summer!!! The kids swim every day and I think we are all getting very suntan;-). I decided to take a picture of the top of their hands compared to their palms. I was a bit surprised at how extremely suntan they all are...LOL!!! They just don't seem to tire of playing outside and swimming in their pool.


The kids love to eat outside at their little picnic tables. One picture I took just makes me laugh!!! Just as I went to snap the photo of Katie Aunna and Karissa eating...Katie points her chicken leg at Karissa and says "BANG...your dead!!!" Of course, I said "Honey, we should not shoot our sister with our chicken leg." All the kids burst into laughter...naughty kids;-).


Let me say that the Fourth of July Celebration was fabulous. We had our annual picnic at Green Acres Lake (more like a pond...LOL). There was so much food that day and the fireworks were wonderful. The gathering with family and friends is always something we look forward to each year. There was so much to eat as everyone always brings something delicious. I love my cousin's egg-rolls and chocolate covered strawberries!!!


As I sat there enjoying everything, Katie came over to me, crawled into my lap, and wanted to talk. Being there rather gave Katie Aunna and I a flashback to last summer. We had been home from Russia a little over a month at this time last year. She fondly recalled coming to this park and watching the beautiful fireworks. It was one of her very first outings. Then one thing led to another in our conversation and she began to recall our first few months at home.


Katie Aunna told me about how she understood what we said to her last year. But, she found it difficult to respond fully in English. Then she put her arms around my neck, sweetly kissed my cheek, and said the nicest thing in my ear..."Thank you Mommy. Having a home is so nice!" Now how darling is that??? She has been an amazing little girl full of happiness and joy. Katie Aunna has really blended well into her family. Our life without her seems to never have existed for us. God has been so good to our family and so perfect in giving us the children that He has. He is truly a great and wonderful God worthy to be praised!!!


More good news....Last week I flew to Dallas with Karissa for another check up with her surgeon. We had a good report that she has healed well from her surgery and she is tumor-free. Another moment to praise our Lord for His generosity. She does have a little more moisture than he would want to see on her eardrum. However, Karissa has been swimming daily with her custom made ear-plugs. The doctor wants to see her again in January. He said they usually follow a child with reoccurring tumors for two years following the surgery. She does have a loss of 40 decibels in her hearing. He says this is not a bad thing when we consider she had no hearing before surgery in her left ear. So, some hearing is better than none;-).


On the lighter side of things....We went to see the 3-D movie "Ice Age 2" and it was really cool. I recommend it highly. The children were so adorable sitting in the theater's afternoon matinee with their 3-D glasses on. John-John was amazed and his little body moved with the show. It was difficult to watch the movie as I kept watching the reaction of the children...LOL!!!! Well, I guess that pretty well updates July for us. Gotta go play with the kids now;-). Many blessings!!!

Burrowing Owl

"Tuffy The Owl" so named for his remarkable skills at surviving. This is not our owl....but, a picture of one just like Tuffy. In person, their eyes are more green than yellow. But, the one pictured above, has fluffy down on his chest like the young owl we rescued on Monday.....

Day before yesterday I was sitting on the patio watching the children swim. I heard a crying noise that was similar to screeching and crying. Initially I thought it was some of the baby Prairie Dogs fussing with each other. They often make a crying type of screaming andbarking noise with each other when they fuss;-). I guess kids will be kids no matter what!!! So, I just ignored it for a while. But, as it continued I became concerned.

When I went out into the driveway, behind our house, I found a baby (just old enough to begin learning to fly) Burrowing owl lying in a small area of shade. The hot summer sun was just about to be fully upon him. I was so shocked as I squatted down next him. He was making direct eye contact with me and whining. I felt so sorry for him and asked "Awe...poor little fellow...do you want me to help you?" He tipped his head to the side and continued to look at me and cry.

Usually, an injured animal who is wild will bite....he just laid his head down on my out stretched hand and cried. I have NEVER seen anything like this in a wild animal!!! Just about that time, Weldon came into the drive, bringing Gracie home, from her grooming. He takes Gracie for me and then brings her home to me each Monday. He got out of his truck and said "Oh, Mama, he is hurt. Look how he is looking at us!!! We have to do something for him. I can't believe he is acting so friendly. Does he need some water?"

Weldon, went into the house for water and a towel, while I shaded the little owl from the searing hot sun. This baby owl lapped up the water like a little dog would drink. We had a small plastic milk crate we placed him in and I began to make phone calls to find someone who could help us. When Duane got home from work and saw him it touched his heart as well. Turns out that Duane knew his secretary's mother is a conservationist. This wonderful woman set it up for "Tuffy" to go to the South Plains Rehabilitation Center in Lubbock, Texas.

They think he may have flown into something and has neurological damage as he can not fly. He was dehydrated and somehow managed to collapse in our driveway and there he cried for mercy. Now he is in professional hands, as the girls and I, drove him over to Lubbock for their expert care. These owls (like our tarantulas and horny toads) are becoming very limited and are on the endangered species list!!! They live in the tunnels of Prairie Dog holes and are nocturnal feeders. The Burrowing owls can be seen sitting on the edge of the holes next to our property in the early evenings between the months of about March through October.

Annie Is Growing Up

Yesterday the children were playing outside. Annie came running up to me exclaiming with great joy "Mommy, my tooth is loose". She opened her little mouth to let me feel. Sure enough, her bottom tooth was very loose. Just barely hanging on, I knew soon it would come out, marking the next maturation phase of her life. When she proudly ran off to play, I just cried, as it has come so fast. Today, I was just attempting to absorb that my little Siberian Princess had a loose tooth, when at bedtime snack she ran to me with her little tooth in her dainty hand. Annie is all tucked into her bed and anxiously awaits the Tooth Fairy...aka...Daddy!!! She still makes a beautiful photo. Here is Annie with one less tooth;-).

Ring The Bell

My flowers are beginning to bloom. Aren't they lovely!!!

Beautiful Annie rings the bell with her last paper finished on her desk;-).

Next handsome Christian gets his turn!!! Big 3rd graders;-)

My beautiful Karissa is proud to end her school year!!!

The Arctic Princess...Katie Aunna rings the bell...now for some dessert...LOL!!!

Well the end of school has finally come for us. Only, Casey will be working, during the summer months...on MATH!!!! He is not too happy that I did not let him "off" the hook. It was so funny...Katie Aunna closed her last school book and said: "Mama, we have to ring a bell to say good-bye to the school year!" She wanted to know why we did not have a school bell and how would we celebrate this accomplishment.

I then did a little research and soon discovered that in Russia a bell is rang by the children to indicate an end to the school year and also it is rang for graduations. There is usually a big celebration of food, drinks, and desserts. Now, Katie has such a sweet tooth, that any excuse for cake will do;-). She was sure to add that after the bell rings they get cake and foods to eat.

Duane and I took Christian, Karissa, Katie, and Annie out for dinner at their favorite restaurant with dessert included!!!

It was so nice to be with the four of them. Before dinner we went to Mass. It was so cute as they discussed what they were going to eat as we drove to the church. The bell they rang belonged to my grandmother from her childhood school in Oklahoma. Her school teacher gave it to Grandma and my mother gave it to me when I graduated from college!!! I never dreamed at that point in time that it would be used for my children to signal an end to their school year.

OH MY!!! One Year Already

Katie Aunna one year ago in Russia (February 2008) during our first visit with her.
Karissa (left) and Katie Aunna (right) in April 2009. What a difference family life makes!!!

I am amazed that one year has flown by since our sweet little girl, Katie Aunna, has come home from Russia. What a blessing she is for all of our family. Her outgoing and yet sweet personality has made her place in our family concrete. Although, she has been with us only one year, it seems as though she has always been here. Katie is doing wonderfully with her adjustment to family life. It is now very funny that she told us, while we were in Russia, that she would not learn to speak English and her new family would just have to speak Russian;-). Presently, she is not only speaking English, but has learned to read and write English in her school work. Though, we are still working on riding a bike, she can swim like a fish;-). Her brothers and sisters enjoy playing with her and she has completely meshed into the family unit. Katie Aunna's overall appearance of good health is amazing!!! I just can't say enough about how happy we are to have her in our life. God is good to us!!!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was so nice!!! We all got dressed and went to church. The service was lovely and it so touched my heart. I looked down the pew at my children who were paying attention ever so sweetly. Kisty and her family sat in the pew behind us. At one point in the service Fr. Carlos called the mothers to the front of the church and prayed over us. As I stood beside Kisty, it was difficult not to cry. Here was my grown child, my first born, who had made me a mother thirty-two years ago. This child had also made me a grandmother of two beautiful little girls.

My eyes wandered up to the alter and to the image of Our Lady. I admired her and wondered how she could have been so strong and obedient to God to allow her child to be a Sacrificial Lamb to save the people of a sinful world!!! I know she knew the magnitude of that punishment to be dealt to her Son. I am so thankful she was a courageous woman and mother. Because, I often find myself in need of God's forgiveness for my daily sins. I try to be the best Christian mother I can and do what is best for my children. But, I sometimes fall short in my walk with Christ who died for me.

As a loving mother, when my children are hurt it hurts me. I prefer to think that none will pass away before me, but I know it happens. After all, Duane and I lost our baby twins due to prematurity in 1990. I thought of that pain as I stood before the alter Sunday. How unnatural that loss felt. Parents feel that they will not pass away before their child or children. Holy Mary felt that same unnatural feeling of losing her child before her own end to time. My heart ached. I felt a true gratitude that she did not grab her child and run off with him. Or piteously beg for Him to go away with her and avoid this end to His life. But, she did not do that and she was brave when she followed Him all the way to the cross.

Finally, as the Mother's Day Blessing ended and they began to pass out a gift to all of us standing at that alter, I thought of my own dear mother who had passed away in March 2005. I don't like to recall that my mother is gone from my sight although she lives in my heart all the days of my life. A booklet was placed into my hand and we all returned to our seats. I turned around with the other women and there sat all my beautiful little children with huge smiles on their faces.

They beamed of pride that "I" am their mother. Each one reaching out a little hand to greet me from my brief absence from them. Welcoming me back into our pew and it felt so comforting. My heart just soared with gladness to be their mother. We all settled back into our worship and I had a fresh new heart cleaned by a brief visit with God, Jesus, and His Mother, Mary. The day was wonderful right up to bedtime. Please, keep the children of the world who have no mother in your prayers. God's many blessings to you!!!

Blue Hole

Yeah...I know...it's a weird name for a historical site!!! It is located in the tiny city of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Which is about a two hour drive from our home and half way to Albuquerque. I had Weldon with me, as I hate all the driving alone, when we go to the BIG city....Albuquerque. We were taking Katie Aunna to the opthamologist.

The doctor said she has to have a much stronger prescription and it is one that requires a plastic frame to hold the thick lens. There are also prisms in them and a special type lens that keeps her eye from wandering outward. Unfortunately, her adorable sparkle glasses are metal frames and can not be used for the new prescription. The good news is that she does not need patching or surgery for her strabismus. It is correcting with the faithful use of glasses.

Back to the adventure.....Weldon and I had Katie,Christian, and Karissa with us. They had never seen Blue Hole and so I thought this would be fun for them. Here are some details about Blue Hole. As you can see it is very deep and gives it a beautiful blue hue. The white and red floating balls are attached to diving cages used by diving students.

It is actually very amazing. When it was discovered, this was a true blessing for the pioneers who traveled through and dwelt in, our prairie. Water is scarce in a natural and clean form in New Mexico. So, to have such an asset here was a great treasure. It is also one of the major contributors to the Pecos River, which is found for miles and miles throughout New Mexico. As you can see from the sign....the outflow is 3,000 gallons per minute. At one point, in my childhood, it was believed to be bottomless (long long ago...haha). Now it's depth is determined to be 81 feet.

On the bottom spews a natural fresh water spring. There are many caves filled with water that divers explore, many yet untouched, regularly during scientific dives. Some go miles underground and are the water supply for much of the area for many miles and to unknown destinations. On numerous occassions, divers have become trapped, or gone too far, and even been lost in the underwater caves. The openings are located all along the walls of the 60 foot diameter of Blue Hole.

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Naturally, the kids wanted to swim in it. But, there was a diving crew getting ready to enter the water and it is still too cool for the kids to swim in. I am guessing it was in the 50's this time of the year!!! They did get on the steps and feel the water. This quickly changed their minds about wanting to get into it.