Bounce or Air Hockey

We went to Bounce Off the Walls or something like that today.  The kids had a great time.  It was a toss up between the bounce houses, slides and air hockey.  Look out mom, we may be over to play some more air hockey.  Anya must have gone on the big slide 40 times.  She would just sneak back in the front of the line when she was done, unless I caught her then about 50% of the time Marina or I would tell her to go to the back of the line.  She cracked me up with her sly smile...  Marina and I did all the bouncy stuff and played some air hockey and just kind of hung out.  Ivan was teaching the boys how to do back flips in the bounce houses.  Pretty proud of his back flips and high scoring air hockey games.

I set up a craft table down stairs so they can make things whenever they want.  It's been a big hit with the girls and with my kids.  The girls decorated pictures from chuck-e-cheese, in their notebooks, with tons of stickers.  The boys played soccer and basket ball all afternoon.  We tried to get the kids to watch Star Wars with Ethan, but it just didn't hold their attention.  I think they must need to know the story or characters to watch without the language.  Oh, well.

Choir Concert

I combined both songs so it's not so long.  They didn't have microphones for the Choir so they are really quiet, but Grant did a great job.  He reminded me of Haley Mills in Parent trap playing the guitar and he sang really well in the Tiger, Tiger song.  Awesome!

Ethan and Marina came with me to see Grant and we met Grandma and Grandpa Tingey there.  Grandpa and Ethan had to leave for a bit to fly the airplanes they made out of their programs, but at least they waited until Grant was done.  Morgan, Anya and Ivan went to Nick's house to swim and have dinner.  I guess Ivan finally ate a hamburger, progress.  Marina tried one Tuesday at the BBQ.  Anya likes to try everything and will eat about anything, although she doesn't like the dressing we put on our salads.  I guess they just partied and talked all night.  Again Lori saved me!  Thanks a million : )

Can you beat Chuck-e-cheese?

We had a few hours to kill this morning and I had heard that kids who have come over before can't really sit through movies (they call videos).  So we hadn't put anything on, but I needed to clean up the house and I love them, but I needed a bit of space.  So I took them into the movie room, dun da da duh.  Ivan started pulling movies off of the shelves (I had to say no to a few of them).  Then Anya saw Harry Potter!  We were saved, they were all very excited and watched the entire movie without a peep.  Well, Anya was sent up once to refill the pop corn bowls.  I hate to admit it, but with these cold mornings I'm glad I have something to fall back on.  And Ethan can't believe they don't know Star Wars.  So I may just have to join them and watch some Spielberg movies.

So my neighbor planned a great activity for today.  We took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese.  At first I had scary flash backs of the CEC in Jersey!  But I overcame my fears and decided to join her.  It ended up being a great place and it's a fairly small CEC.  No one got lost and they can't get out the door without an adult, total perk.  They were so excited to eat pizza, but once we were there they didn't want anything to do with pizza.  I think their favorite thing to do though, was to shred their tickets and go redeem them for prizes.  Who knew you could spend a couple hours at an arcade. 

Tuesday was horse day

Tuesday has come and gone.  After I got my kids off to school I told Ivan (through the translator program on the computer) that we were going horse back riding and they needed to dress warm.  His eyes just lit up and he pretended to ride a horse.  They were all excited to ride the horses and kept asking me how much longer, by pointing at my watch or pretending to ride a horse.  My mom came with us, much needed support and help, even though we sort of stood around and watched the kids.  I'm glad she came and sorry she didn't get to gallop off on a horse.  The kids just road around in the corral, which they loved.  And you will notice I gave in and pulled my kids out of school to go ride the horses.  Little bonding time with them and the Ukraine kids.

He just lights up every time he smiles.  Cute kid.

They broke the kids up into three groups and one area was breaking a pinata.  Mmmm, more candy.
This is how windy it was, besides the potato chips blowing off the plates.  Morgan and Keatly kept trying to smile and watch the kids ride, but they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Anya and Danya found a mechanical bull, lucky for us they didn't try to turn it on.  Just wanted another photo taken.  I have about thirty of Anya and Danya today, Anya kept taking me places saying photo.  


Grant went back with some older kids and road around on his own in the corral, he liked that.




This is Anya with the adult host, Lyudmyla, from her orphanage in Kremenchuk.

Great shot of Marina with the back of Timpanogas in the back ground.
Ivan wanted a picture of his spider/scorpion diamond earring.  He doesn't wear it out anywhere, but he was excited to show me and have a photo taken of it.  His lips are red from licking his fist size jaw breaker.

Playing capture the flag.  In the very first game Ethan ran right over to the other teams flag and grabbed it.  He ran back to his team so proud, waving it in the air.

We got home earlier than planned and Morgan made it back to choir practice, even though she didn't want to go.  I think she was worried about missing out, she was a little jealous that I took the kids shopping at Target yesterday.  So the girls hung out with Keatly, sweet neighbor girl, and they made beaded necklaces and earrings.  Anya came home so excited to show me she got some earrings.  Ethan and I got some time to read together and get his homework done.  I think he has been the least effected by having the kids here.  He talks to them and tells them to do things with him.  He thinks Ivan is great and likes to watch him do his flips.  I think Grant is trying to figure out exactly where he fits with the kids, but he likes showing them things and doesn't seem to mind when they are doing their own thing.  That seems to bother Morgan a little more than anyone else.  She really tried to get Anya's attention at first, but really enjoyed doing things with Marina today.  They colored together and did stickers and Marina made her a necklace.  I think she liked the attention, since she's informed me a few times yesterday and today that I am spoiling the Ukraine children and taking too many pictures of them.  Our drama star who needs to be in the center of our lives at all times.  She loved being in the car and no one else could talk to me or grandma and she just told us all sorts of stories and sang every High School Musical song.  She will come out of this just fine, with stories to tell and songs to sing about our new friends who stayed with us.  In fact she will end up missing them the most, especially Marina, she just doesn't know it yet, cute thing.  Marina is very sensitive to Morgan and notices everything she does and says.  She's tried to get Anya to give her things or do things with her and she won't eat her jaw breaker because Morgan wanted one.  Very perceptive 14 year old.

Troy took Marina and Ivan to Young Mens and Womens tonight, they both seemed to really enjoy it.  Although at scouts they learned how to clean guns, obviously its hunting season around here, but it sounded like it shocked Ivan a bit to have the guns there.  I hope that doesn't go back to the adult hosts.  Marina went to piano lessons with Morgan yesterday and has really enjoyed seeing what the kids do and watching everyone.  The girls played volleyball tonight and she joined right in and said she really liked it.  I'm so glad they involved her, what a great experience.

off the slide

Sorry you have to watch this sideways.  I didn't realize that the videos wouldn't come up vertical on my little camera.  Ivan doing a flip off the top of the slide.

Day 2

So we went to Target today to restock the kitchen with apples and bananas.  The kids had eaten about 28 apples and a big bag of Costco bananas in the first 24 hours that they had been here.  It was pretty exciting to fill the bags with as many apples and different types of apples, as they could.  It took me only showing them once to put the apples in the plastic bags for them to put a little of everything in the plastic bags, including a coconut and carrots.  It was fun to watch them look at all the fruit and pick the things they liked out, they seemed to agree on most things.  Marina was getting after the other two all the time in the store, especially when I had them put back half of the candy they picked out and they didn't want to.  But we hadn't even gotten to the chocolate yet!  I knew they would want some of that, so they settled for a large jaw breaker (I still don't get those) and a LARGE gummy dinosaur.  And some how they all agreed on a bag of snickers.  They would point out coca-cola when ever they saw it and Red Bull.  Wouldn't have guessed that one.  Anya would do some crazy animal dance whenever we saw the Red Bull, pretty silly.

The boys went nuts in the the shoes!  My sister would have been envious.  They tried on every pair of shoes they could.  Who knew?  The girls wanted dress shoes, but that is what they wore over here, we needed to get them some shoes they could horse back ride in tomorrow.  It took a little convincing until they found gold/copper colored tennis shoes.  

Lori and Nick came shopping with us and then we went to their place to go SWIMMING.  Awesome.  The kids loved it.  Ivan did all of his tricks on the diving board.  Front and back flips and dives and then he headed to the top of the slide.  Amazing or crazy, I just kept saying be careful and he would smile and tell the kids to get out of the way.

Marina on the slide.
Anya riding Morgan's bike down to swim and sporting her new tennis shoes.

Ivan relaxing.

Anya on the slide.
Ivan doing a back flip.

Anya and Bohdan floating.  Bohdan and Lori came over for part of the afternoon.

Nick dunking and swinging on the rim, so everyone else had to try it.  Even my kids.  Yep, we had to go back to Lori's and swim again after my kids got home from school and piano lessons.  Little bit of jealousy going on.  In  fact Morgan kept telling me to quit taking pictures of everyone else so I could watch her swim.  Boy, am I in trouble!

Morgan on the rim.

Anya on the rim.

Grant jumping off the slide.  If Ivan and Nick could do it so could he!  A little peer pressure can be good at times.

Marina hanging out with Lori and I under the warmth of the beach towels.  It got cold without the sun out shining down on us.  But a great day!  Thanks O'Tooles!

First day in the US

It was a busy Sunday--the first full day in the US for Marina, Ivan and Anna.  The Keller property (and that of some of our neighbors) was thoroughly explored, with the most popular items  of interest being the sports court, the bicycles, the neighbors' trampoline (thanks Castanevas!), Percy and video games.   Below are some snapshots throughout the day.

Grant, Ivan, Anna and Morgan on the swing.
Craft time.
Anna has learned middle C, D and E.  She plays them melodically (and repeatedly) and announces each note in English as she plays them.  Quite impressive.
Washing the dog was a highlight of the day.
All the Ukraine kids and their host families met at a chapel in Salt Lake for ice cream and some foundation business.  There was a "reading of the rules" in Ukraine by one of the chaperones that came with the kids.  Think along the lines of camp rules (e.g., buddy system, try new foods), and you'll get the picture.  

The couple behind the kids are our neighbors Shane and Lori O'Toole.  They are hosting Nick (blue shirt) who comes from the same orphanage as the children staying with us.  His sister was supposed to have accompanied him, but her paperwork fell apart at the very last minute.  Extremely sad!