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!!

First Fall in the 'nati

We have had a busy two months! Russ completed his chemo and we await the final 'all clear' scan results next week. Aidan & Kristin are enjoying 3rd & 1st grade, respectively. I'm back to my 4-day work schedule and am happy to report that Lera just LOVES daycare (whew!).

Lera is doing great. We've learned that she thrives on routine, and she has us all trained! Bedtime, for example - all the typical stuff, with mandatory skipping-is-NOT-an-option rituals like her turning on the night light, jumping off the step stool ("I need jumpy!"), and rubbing lotion on her cheeks, arms & legs. Whatever works - it's nice quiet time together! She still puts her hands on both of my cheeks for our goodnight kiss, and says "love you" (which sounds more like lubwu).

Other Lera news - she's potty trained - yippee! And, she finally had her "oral rehab" surgery last week - under general anesthesia as she needed quite a bit done. They pulled all 4 front teeth, which were badly decayed from what was apparently a textbook case of "bottle rot." Also a root canal/crown (on a molar that needs to last 10 more years) and multiple fillings. Good grief. The whole thing was tougher on me than on her, though - she was running around and eating like nothing had happened later that same day! I'm still sad about the loss of her front teeth - but the good news is, her permanent teeth are there and in place; that's what matters most!

The mutual love & fun club with Aidan & Kristin is still going strong - they have such a good time together. Russ and I love watching them teach her stuff, and she is a little sponge, soaking it all in. Every day I find myself thinking, "She is so darn cute!!" We all feel lucky to have her in our lives. It is hard to believe that this Thursday is the 6-month anniversary of when we met her. She hardly seems like the same child!

Here are a few pix of the last two months:

First camping trip, to Caesar Creek State Park near home...she loved it, rain and all!

Another camping pic...couldn't resist. Schlepping that pink potty back from Kaz was a good decision ;-)


Bathtime is big around here

Aidan & Kristin - first day of school

Lera loves to climb, just like her big sister does

Kristin comforting Lera after an "owie"

"Hiking" at the Cincinnati Nature Center

She really loved walking in the woods

With Reid & Marie at the Nature Center


This is how Lera kisses...seriously!

Lera was funny at the pumpkin farm...she thought it quite odd we were bringing these big weird things home!

Recuperating after her oral surgery

Showing off her new toothless grin

Back to normal - well, almost

It's been almost 2 months since Lera joined our crew, and we continue to be amazed at what a special little kid she is. She isn't growing much in size, but her language skills are growing so quickly! It is amazing to see. Her word list is now up to 43, and she's started using word combos like "ah wan" (I want), "ah neeya-neeya" (I need) and "ahm hungee" (I'm hungry). Okay, so her pronunciation isn't developing as fast as her vocabulary...but it is still fun to witness. It has also been a joy to introduce her to more family members and friends. (Including Grandma Hickey just this week!)

This is the last weekend of our summer - Kristin moves on to 1st grade at her new school, Aidan starts 3rd, and I'm increasing my work schedule. I must say I'm almost relieved to get back into a normal routine. But real 'normal' isn't here yet - we're hoping for that in about 5 weeks, when Russ' chemo will be behind him! (Two more treatments to go...fingers crossed we can stay flu-free around here.)

Here are a few pix of our past few weeks:

A & K went to a birthday party and came home with...two fish! Welcome Joey and Orangina to our gang

Lera's first road trip - to North Carolina for a fun weekend with some of the Hickeys

Lera loved the pontoon...

...but not the jet ski!

Cousins - Kristin, Lera, Anna

Nothing like a touch of home - she still loves this potty from Kaz (thanks, Jessica & Oxana!)

Aidan is a prince at his summer day camp's dance contest; they performed to "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid." It was a stitch! (Kristin is on a photography kick these days - that's her thumb)

Another boating day at Brookville Lake near home - Aidy was excited to drive....

But "Ler-Bear" wasn't quite as thrilled.