Approaching Normal - Spring '10

As dull as it sounds, some of the highlights of my spring this year have been moments of just, well, normalcy. Last year had so much going on - with Kazakhstan travels, Russ' chemo, and Lera's adjustment to literally everything new: new home, routine, family, foods, language. By the time spring rolled around this year, Lera had been with us almost 9 months, and it became almost hard to remember life before she was here.

Aidan turned 9 in March, and we went to Florida with Russ' sister Gail (aka Petie) for spring break:




Aidan's birthday - dinner at Don Pablo's, then cake at home - Pam was his special guest for the evening!






Our spring trip was great. We really enjoyed our stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and had a low-key trip. Lots of pool time and one park - Universal Studios.
Pirate's Dinner Theatre our first night.... (I'm not sure if the rest of the family wouuld agree, but I wouldn't recommend it. An odd mix of cheesy and violent.)

Outside our room at Animal Kingdom Lodge...animal spotting over happy hour on the balcony was fun





Lera developed a new-found love of salad (finally, we have a kid who will eat salad!)

"Fisherman's Wharf" at Universal

"Hollywood" at Universal

At one of the Disney resorts

Our bathing beauties


Aidan has mastered scrambled eggs, so made breakfast for us

We drove this trip, and stopped at Ormond Beach FL and Savannah GA on the way home (we didn't exactly take a direct route!!) This was Lera's first time on the beach - Kazakhstan is waaaaayyy on the other side of that big ocean



Down by the river in Savannah



Another Easter morning at a hotel... the Easter bunny found us again! (Aidan and Kristin must think this is the norm!)

Going fast on an Ohio state road... almost home!!

Winter & Lera Turns 3!!

We had a fun first winter at home with Lera. It's clear she's from the Kazakh steppe and of Russian heritage, judging from the way she took to the snow!



Sledding in the neighbor's yard



Swinging and snow - two of Lera's great loves. Even when Aidan & Kristin didn't want to go out, she'd venture out on her own.



On January 14, Lera turned 3!

Our traditional 'stand by the post' birthday shot - with Kristin, who turned 7 on Valentine's Day

Low-key celebration on her actual birthday... the cupcake is lame, I admit....


...but she had another celebration in Akron with the Hickey gang.

I couldn't help but be moved by the fact that this just might have been Lera's first birthday cake of her very own. Her 2nd birthday, at the baby house, included a group cake for all of the kids with winter birthdays (and the kids didn't even get to eat it; the caregivers did).

Other family events this winter -


Russ turned 42
Sporting his I-just-wanna-be-hairy-after-chemo look

Kristin turned 7

Aidan took 2nd in his Pinewood Derby
Watching the races with Lera (he wasn't so serene for his own race...)

Victory!

Lera's first holidays at home

After fun family trips to KC and Akron in November and mid-December, we enjoyed having a mellow Christmas and New Years at home here in Cincinnati. Seeing Lera experience it all for the first time gave all of us a fresh perspective on the fun and joy of the holidays.

Thanksgiving festivities started with Kristin's performance as a pilgrim (she opted to pass on the pilgrim bonnet...)

En route to KC - the traditional in-swimsuits-ready-for-the-hotel-pool picture


My brothers Brian & Brad, and cousin Francie - at Brad's 50th birthday bash


My folks

The traditional kids-in-Grandma-and-Bobby's-crock picture









Christmas
Pam came over to help us decorate the tree (Lera didn't seem to think it at all strange that we were doing this...!)

..then Aidan insisted on reading "The Night Before Christmas" to everyone...

Russ & I had a fun night out on the town for LPK's holiday party.

Lera LOVED getting dressed up for the Hickey Christmas party in Akron

Girls and dolls....Lera with cousins Maddie & Anna

Lera with Grandma Hickey

Christmas morning... A & K couldn't wait to get downstairs...but Lera didn't get it (yet). She was just annoyed that they made her wake up!

...Thankfully, she caught on right away.


And one more traditional pic...(hey, aren't the holidays about tradition?!) Here are the kids by the fireplace after the Christmas morning chaos.



Onward to 2010 as a family of five!!

Lera's pre-school picture

We just love this picture of Valeria! She refused to smile at first - intimidated by the big flash units and the other kids. So, the teachers said "Oh look, here comes Sami!!" (That's Lera's beloved babysitter.) She smiled big, they snapped the picture, then they said "Oh, no, it's not Sami..." Hey - whatever works!

Halloween in Ohio

What a gorgeous fall we have had here in Cincinnati this year! Aidan must have said 10 times while we were driving around, "Mom, why do you keep pointing out pretty trees? They are just trees!" (Hopefully his tree appreciation will come with age...)

Lera loves her walks in the woods

Front yard aglow!

Back yard


Halloween was extra special for us this year. We travelled up to Sharon Center (outside Akron), where our Hickey relatives really do up Halloween for the town each year. They give hay rides and decorate the town circle, complete with scary music and characters who haunt the square and all who venture there. Russ & Petie were on the PA, basically heckling trick or treaters; Petie practically scared the costume pants off a few of the toddlers. Quite entertaining!

Lera wouldn't have any part of dressing up - refusing her dog costume with a deadpan expression of "no, I am not a dog, nor do I choose to dress like one today..." That gave us a chuckle.

Russ & Jane

Petie + costume + microphone + her witch cackle = SCARY!!

Aidan & Davey

Kristin & Anna... the only thing scary about them was how grown up they looked!

On Steve's high speed hay ride... before he really got moving

Russ & Steve (no idea what Steve was supposed to be?) I tried to get Russ to be Mr. Clean...but his post-chemo hair has grown in too thick already.

Lauren & Jim (he didn't dress up)

A few more random pix below:

Lera found the whole pumpkin bit really odd...but she practically shrieked with joy when she finally saw her jack-o'-lantern all lit up!

A & K at one of Cincinnati's many beautiful parks

Kristin's ballet lessons (she is far left)

Lera ready for what she calls "not not"

Russ & I really enjoyed a long-overdue date night for my birthday... I'm clingin' to my mid-forties by my fingernails! Fun night.

Onward to the holidays!!