One year ago today we received approval and an appointment date, and begin making arrangements to travel to Ukraine to get our little guy...
http://dovefamily07.blogspot.com/2007/08/good-news-at-last.html
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Free Chicken
This Monday you can try the new/improved Chick-n-Strips at Chick-fil-A for FREE!
http://www.cheerforchicken.com/home/rules
http://www.cheerforchicken.com/home/rules
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Weekend Fun
The past 2 weekends were a lot of fun, and I finally got around to uploading the pictures so I can post them...
This past Friday afternoon/evening Zack went golfing with his brother. So William and I had a "date night". We spent time reading and doing art projects. Then we went out to dinner at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. William loved it and kept talking about the man that cooked on our table and made fire.
Saturday afternoon we took him to Jillian's to play games. It was a reward for a very successful star chart (100 stars!). that he completed over a month ago. We've actually stopped doing the star chart - it's run its course and enforced all the good habits we wanted to emphasize.
Saturday evening we met our new friends for dinner (the ones with the son from Russia). William & Samuel hit it off & I imagine we'll be spending more time together! They are excited to get to see each other tomorrow for their "meet the teacher" day, and then school starts on Tuesday!
Isn't this the cutest pic? Samuel is very much the European in his farewells, giving a kiss on the cheek :)
Sunday was church, and William was excited to show off new jeans and new church shoes. He's also started fixing his own hair some mornings in a style that he calls "dinosaur hair". We're guessing he's seen some other kid do it this way, but it's basically a fake mohawk (faux-hawk?). I just had to take his picture because he looked so grown up in his big boy jeans & shoes. He was really hamming it up for the camera, too!
This weekend should be fun, too. We're hoping for good weather on Saturday to surprise William with a fun outdoor evening activity - I'll post later if we're able to make it happen. And one of Zack's cousins is coming down from Knoxville this weekend (we haven't seen him in several years) so we're really looking forward to his visit.
2 weekends ago we went to the lake. It was just the 3 of us for the most part, and it was very relaxing - exactly what we all needed!
This past Friday afternoon/evening Zack went golfing with his brother. So William and I had a "date night". We spent time reading and doing art projects. Then we went out to dinner at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. William loved it and kept talking about the man that cooked on our table and made fire.
Saturday afternoon we took him to Jillian's to play games. It was a reward for a very successful star chart (100 stars!). that he completed over a month ago. We've actually stopped doing the star chart - it's run its course and enforced all the good habits we wanted to emphasize.
Saturday evening we met our new friends for dinner (the ones with the son from Russia). William & Samuel hit it off & I imagine we'll be spending more time together! They are excited to get to see each other tomorrow for their "meet the teacher" day, and then school starts on Tuesday!
Isn't this the cutest pic? Samuel is very much the European in his farewells, giving a kiss on the cheek :)
Sunday was church, and William was excited to show off new jeans and new church shoes. He's also started fixing his own hair some mornings in a style that he calls "dinosaur hair". We're guessing he's seen some other kid do it this way, but it's basically a fake mohawk (faux-hawk?). I just had to take his picture because he looked so grown up in his big boy jeans & shoes. He was really hamming it up for the camera, too!
This weekend should be fun, too. We're hoping for good weather on Saturday to surprise William with a fun outdoor evening activity - I'll post later if we're able to make it happen. And one of Zack's cousins is coming down from Knoxville this weekend (we haven't seen him in several years) so we're really looking forward to his visit.
And of course, the college football season kicks off this weekend - WOO HOO!!! We bought William a Tennessee jersey on Saturday so he's ready to cheer on the Vols. We've been trying to teach William about being a good sport no matter if you win or lose - this season at UT could be a good object lesson in that, but we'll wait & see and hope for the best :)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Cheap Eats
I didn't plan to keep posting about coupons or shopping deals, but I know times are tight for lots of people. So when I see a good deal, I'll pass it along :)
Click on THIS LINK to get a coupon for a free chicken sandwich or chicken biscuit at McDonalds (w/the purhcase of a drink).
Also, I've told lots of you that Zack & I frequently purchase discounted gift certificates from restaurant.com. We can eat at our favorite places for cheap, or try new places without too much risk involved. They often have coupon codes* that can be entered for additional savings. Right now, use the code SMART and save an additional 50%.
*Sign up at Coupon Mom to get emails with the coupon codes, plus lots of other great deals
Click on THIS LINK to get a coupon for a free chicken sandwich or chicken biscuit at McDonalds (w/the purhcase of a drink).
Also, I've told lots of you that Zack & I frequently purchase discounted gift certificates from restaurant.com. We can eat at our favorite places for cheap, or try new places without too much risk involved. They often have coupon codes* that can be entered for additional savings. Right now, use the code SMART and save an additional 50%.
*Sign up at Coupon Mom to get emails with the coupon codes, plus lots of other great deals
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Preparing for Kindergarten
Zack & I attended parent orientation on Tuesday night. While William was in Pre-K last year, this feels like the first REAL year of school to me. We met with his teacher, she went over schedules and expectations, and we signed all sorts of forms & permission slips. I'm really excited about how things sound and I feel like this is going to be a great year for our [not-so-] little guy!We were happy to find out that there's a boy in his class that was just recently (@ 3 months ago) adopted from Russia! William is excited to have a new friend with a similar background, as are we. We plan to get together with the family this weekend for dinner so the boys can meet and start getting to know each other.
Last night William and I went clothes shopping. It's still hot so he'll start the year in shorts. But growing 3+ inches means he's outgrown almost every pair of jeans he has. So we made a trip to Old Navy and got lots of pants for very little money (I had some coupons that were expiring soon). We had lots of fun trying on pants, and he was ecstatic (seriously, I'm not exaggerating) when I took him to the food court for a cookie afterwards. (Speaking of shopping, check out a great deal at the bottom of this post)
Next Wednesday, Zack will take William to meet his teacher, Ms. Mary, & to see his classroom. Then school starts September 2nd, and we'll have a kindergartener - wow!
SHOPPING DEAL - CHECK THIS OUT!!
Also, for you bargain hunters, Old Navy is having a denim sale this Saturday only...
Adult Jeans = $12
Children Jeans = $7
Limit 3 per person
I found some details online...
$12 jeans include:
Womans jeans regular-$29.50
$12 jeans include:
Womans jeans regular-$29.50
The Diva
The Girlfriend
The Sweetheart
Mens jeans regular-$29.50
Straight (regular)
Bootcut
PainterLoose
$7 jeans include:
Girls jeans regular-$19.50
The girlfriend
The darling
Boys jeans regular-$19.50
Bootcut
LooseRegular
Painter
Monday, August 18, 2008
School Questions
My online friend Jen asked some questions that I thought I'd just answer here, in case they might be helpful to others as well...
Could [William] have gone to kindergarten when you got home last winter? Did you do any research on the requirements of school attendance in your state? I am not sure if we will be required by the state to put our child in school when we arrive home (if she is school age) since it will be late winter or early spring. We haven't gotten any answers. I researched our state's education website but not sure where to go next.
William was technically kindergarten age when we brought him home. We could have put him right into kindergarten, but we chose a different route. He'd never been in school before, so this was totally new for him.
Had we done public school, he would have gone for full days and we KNEW he wasn't ready for that. We could have put him in private half-day kindergarten, but he would have been one of the youngest in his class with his late-May birthday. And we would have been putting him in the class in January, half-way through the school year. There was enough to adjust to and we didn't want to make it any harder than it already was. I'm sure you've heard... kindergarten is the new first grade :)
Our decision? In early January we enrolled him in a private, 4-day-a-week, half day Pre-K. It was an older 4's, younger 5's class, designed for kids who just missed the kindergarten birthday cutoff or kids who just weren't quite ready for kindergarten yet. It gave him the opportunity to get used to the idea of school, improve his social skills, and get on the fast track with his language skills. All without too much academic pressure. And it created routine which he was desperate for. It was a perfect fit for him.
Before going to Ukraine, we said we'd wait several months before putting our child in any kind of preschool or kindergarten. But we quickly realized that it would be the best thing for him. The name of the game at the orphanage was ROUTINE. Everything happened at specific times, and the children knew what to expect. You can click HERE and read a post I did several months ago about William's need for routine.
We tried to explain to him (through our limited Russian & the help of a friend of the family who is fluent) that we would take him in the mornings and pick him up right after lunch. We took him twice in December to meet the teachers and kids. Both times he shed some silent tears. But by Day 2 of school in January, he was fine with it. (We'd also been taking him to church each Sunday, and I think that helped him understand that we'd always come back) By the second week, he was excited to go each day.
As for your 'legal' questions, we honestly didn't check other than seeing if we could get him in the Pre-K class. No harm no foul at this point, I guess. If you are concerned, I would suggest calling the local school district, stopping by your local elementary school, and also maybe visiting a private school, and just asking these questions.
Could [William] have gone to kindergarten when you got home last winter? Did you do any research on the requirements of school attendance in your state? I am not sure if we will be required by the state to put our child in school when we arrive home (if she is school age) since it will be late winter or early spring. We haven't gotten any answers. I researched our state's education website but not sure where to go next.
William was technically kindergarten age when we brought him home. We could have put him right into kindergarten, but we chose a different route. He'd never been in school before, so this was totally new for him.
Had we done public school, he would have gone for full days and we KNEW he wasn't ready for that. We could have put him in private half-day kindergarten, but he would have been one of the youngest in his class with his late-May birthday. And we would have been putting him in the class in January, half-way through the school year. There was enough to adjust to and we didn't want to make it any harder than it already was. I'm sure you've heard... kindergarten is the new first grade :)
Our decision? In early January we enrolled him in a private, 4-day-a-week, half day Pre-K. It was an older 4's, younger 5's class, designed for kids who just missed the kindergarten birthday cutoff or kids who just weren't quite ready for kindergarten yet. It gave him the opportunity to get used to the idea of school, improve his social skills, and get on the fast track with his language skills. All without too much academic pressure. And it created routine which he was desperate for. It was a perfect fit for him.
Before going to Ukraine, we said we'd wait several months before putting our child in any kind of preschool or kindergarten. But we quickly realized that it would be the best thing for him. The name of the game at the orphanage was ROUTINE. Everything happened at specific times, and the children knew what to expect. You can click HERE and read a post I did several months ago about William's need for routine.
We tried to explain to him (through our limited Russian & the help of a friend of the family who is fluent) that we would take him in the mornings and pick him up right after lunch. We took him twice in December to meet the teachers and kids. Both times he shed some silent tears. But by Day 2 of school in January, he was fine with it. (We'd also been taking him to church each Sunday, and I think that helped him understand that we'd always come back) By the second week, he was excited to go each day.
As for your 'legal' questions, we honestly didn't check other than seeing if we could get him in the Pre-K class. No harm no foul at this point, I guess. If you are concerned, I would suggest calling the local school district, stopping by your local elementary school, and also maybe visiting a private school, and just asking these questions.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Pics & Videos
Here are pictures from William's final swim lesson last week:
And take a look at our little swimmer. He did so well! (Notice how the instructor keeps backing up to make him swim further...)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Progress Report
We're still around, but life is hectic, school is crazy, and blogging time has been virtually non-existent. We don't have any earth-shattering news to share. We're enjoying the last few weeks of our summer routine, before William starts kindergarten on September 2nd. We're hoping to get in another trip or two down to the lake before then, but in the words of William "we'll see!"
William finished swim lessons, and I'll try to post pics and/or videos soon. He did great, and was promoted to GS2 (grade school level 2).
Everywhere I go people ask, "how is William? Is he adjusting well? How's he doing learning English? Is he forgetting Russian?". So I'll answer those for now, and try to add pics later...
How is William?/Is he adjusting well?
He is great!! A typical, all-American 6 year old. He wants to eat chicken nuggets, pizza, or hot dogs at every meal (although he still loves his vegetables & fruits). He loves to play outside, watch cartoons, "read" books, and rough-house. He enjoys helping me grocery shop, and also likes to help in the kitchen.
He loves school, and is counting the days until he can go back. He practices writing his letters and numbers almost every day, and has gotten quite good at sounding out & spelling 3 & 4 letter words. We won't be able to spell things out around him for much longer!
Unfortunately, he has also picked up the typical American I Want's. I reminded him of how little he had in Ukraine and how much he has now. His response? Yes, and I want more, more more. So we had a long talk about being content (I'm slowly learning to put grown-up concepts into simple kid-friendly terms). The result? For nearly 10 minutes, he named off things that he was thankful God has given him. If he knows you by name, you were on the list! Otherwise, you were covered with "people" or "chivren" (that's how he says children). I am trying to get him to do this more often, and it seems to be helping.
He talks about Ukraine fondly, but says he only wants to live in America with Mommy & Daddy. His adjustment has been amazing, and for that we are truly thankful. Our prayer all along was that God would provide him with caregivers that gave him adequate attention, and that he would not have attachment issues. God answered those prayers in amazing ways.
How's he doing learning English? Is he forgetting Russian?
He only speaks English now. He had kindergarten testing in July, and his language skills were tested to be at a 4 year old level - not bad for 8 months home! (He tested above age level in other areas including numbers!) I said to Zack that while his actual language is at that level, the thoughts and ideas he attempts to present seem to be age appropriate.
His sentence structures are less & less European as the days roll forward. He rarely gets frustrated at not knowing the word to convey his thoughts.
I will share that there were a couple of months that seemed especially frustrating for him. We'd probably been home a month or two - he'd lost most of the Russian, but didn't have nearly enough English to speak what his mind was thinking. That must be a horribly frustrating feeling. I experienced a little of the helpless feeling while in Ukraine, but nothing to the extent of what he must have been feeling - and I always had Zack there so there was always at least one other person speaking my language.
William only knows about 7 or 8 Russian words now. That's it. He can only count to maybe 2, remembers Malinki and Balshoy (little and big), a few colors, and a few other random words. I speak to him in Russian, and he has no idea what I'm saying. It's exciting that he's come so far, but also a little sad that he's lost his native tongue so quickly.
So that's the latest with the Dove fam.
William finished swim lessons, and I'll try to post pics and/or videos soon. He did great, and was promoted to GS2 (grade school level 2).
Everywhere I go people ask, "how is William? Is he adjusting well? How's he doing learning English? Is he forgetting Russian?". So I'll answer those for now, and try to add pics later...
How is William?/Is he adjusting well?
He is great!! A typical, all-American 6 year old. He wants to eat chicken nuggets, pizza, or hot dogs at every meal (although he still loves his vegetables & fruits). He loves to play outside, watch cartoons, "read" books, and rough-house. He enjoys helping me grocery shop, and also likes to help in the kitchen.
He loves school, and is counting the days until he can go back. He practices writing his letters and numbers almost every day, and has gotten quite good at sounding out & spelling 3 & 4 letter words. We won't be able to spell things out around him for much longer!
Unfortunately, he has also picked up the typical American I Want's. I reminded him of how little he had in Ukraine and how much he has now. His response? Yes, and I want more, more more. So we had a long talk about being content (I'm slowly learning to put grown-up concepts into simple kid-friendly terms). The result? For nearly 10 minutes, he named off things that he was thankful God has given him. If he knows you by name, you were on the list! Otherwise, you were covered with "people" or "chivren" (that's how he says children). I am trying to get him to do this more often, and it seems to be helping.
He talks about Ukraine fondly, but says he only wants to live in America with Mommy & Daddy. His adjustment has been amazing, and for that we are truly thankful. Our prayer all along was that God would provide him with caregivers that gave him adequate attention, and that he would not have attachment issues. God answered those prayers in amazing ways.
How's he doing learning English? Is he forgetting Russian?
He only speaks English now. He had kindergarten testing in July, and his language skills were tested to be at a 4 year old level - not bad for 8 months home! (He tested above age level in other areas including numbers!) I said to Zack that while his actual language is at that level, the thoughts and ideas he attempts to present seem to be age appropriate.
His sentence structures are less & less European as the days roll forward. He rarely gets frustrated at not knowing the word to convey his thoughts.
I will share that there were a couple of months that seemed especially frustrating for him. We'd probably been home a month or two - he'd lost most of the Russian, but didn't have nearly enough English to speak what his mind was thinking. That must be a horribly frustrating feeling. I experienced a little of the helpless feeling while in Ukraine, but nothing to the extent of what he must have been feeling - and I always had Zack there so there was always at least one other person speaking my language.
William only knows about 7 or 8 Russian words now. That's it. He can only count to maybe 2, remembers Malinki and Balshoy (little and big), a few colors, and a few other random words. I speak to him in Russian, and he has no idea what I'm saying. It's exciting that he's come so far, but also a little sad that he's lost his native tongue so quickly.
So that's the latest with the Dove fam.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Maria Sue Chapman
Be sure to watch Larry King Live tonight at 9PM ET. Steven Curtis Chapman and his family will be interviewed and will discuss dealing with the loss of their youngest daughter, Maria.
You can also watch their Good Morning America interview by clicking here.
In the interview, the Chapmans speak of their faith, but I didn't hear any obvious mention of God or Jesus Christ. My guess is that those names did not go unspoken, but instead they ended up on the cutting room floor in order to keep GMA "politically correct". Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox.
And you can read THIS ARTICLE by Steven Curtis Chapman on CNN's website.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Emma Update
Emma's surgery went well (better than expected!). She still has a long road ahead of her, but praise God for bringing her this far already.
Click below to read about Emma's recovery...
Click below to read about Emma's recovery...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pray for Emma
Please keep Emma in your prayers. She was adopted from Ukraine several months ago, and she will be undergoing heart surgery this Monday.
Click below to read about Emma & her family...
Click below to read about Emma & her family...
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