Toma at the festival and my creative Michael

I have to get a picture of Artiom on the pony.....it's on my moms camera. But here he is at the Republican stand :)

Michael has been working in the garage on art stuff lately. This is a cute little mushroom man he made :)

Artiom

Someone asked how he has been doing, so I'll fill you all in on Toma. He's been home 6 months, and is adjusting very well. He still does not talk at all, but he gets his point across in other ways.
He's scheduled to have another sedated MRI this coming week, and then at the end of the month we go back to the reconstructive surgeon to set up the cleft palate surgery as well as seeing the dentist to have those cavities fixed at the same time. And a circumcision as well.

We're still waiting to get the baha's for his hearing.

He hasn't started speech therepy, we are waiting until after the palate surgery.

He gets along very well with the other kids in the family, and they all know he's 'special' and treat him that way. Even Alex, who is 3 is like the older brother to him.

He's eating a little more than just rice cereal. He likes yogurt, and hot cereal and pediasure with bread in it. He has pediasure with all his meals. He was 22 pounds when we first met him and he just hit the 30 pound mark!

His 'naughty' side seems to have come out now that he's been here 6 months. He gets into everything! loves to dump out everything he can get his hands on, including the laundry soap in the dog dish :)

He still sleeps in a crib, with a crib tent over it. He doesn't take naps but some days I put him in his crib for some rest time (for me!)

His favorite toys aren't toys at all. He still loves an empty milk jug, or spoons/forks, and the hair dryer.

He rode a pony for the first time last weekend at a festival.

He's still not potty trained.

He slaps the other kids and himself, but we're working on that.

If you say 'looby loo' (for I love you) he puts his cheek out for a kiss :)

He prefers Rich over me still ;(

He is a sweet, sweet little boy who is just now learning how to be 'a little boy' :) since he spent the first 5 1/2 yrs of his life doing very little of anything.

The amazing race starts tonight!

Whoo-hoo :)

I gotta make sure my rabbit ears are working!

Something creepy is going on .......

The other day Alex and I went up our hill in the back yard to the place we affectionately call 'Pet Cemetery" to put some flowers on Henry's grave. You remember our Henry....who died about a month ago.....



But when we got there, this is what we found. An empty hole.

No Henry......we looked and looked and found no sign of him.(or the big baggie he was buried in)

At first I blamed Cooper, our huge dog who likes to dig.....

but, then I remembered a similar issue we had with Summer this spring when a poor bird flew into our window and died and we buried it, and she later DUG IT UP and was carrying it around in a basket like this:

Well, she got scolded for that and said she wouldn't do it again.

But I called her to the 'hole' and asked her if she knew what happened to Henry....she got that funny look on her face when you know dang well she knows something she's not saying.

But she swore up and down she didn't do it.

So I let it go.

Still no sign of Henry's whereabouts though.

Michael thinks one of these days Cooper is going to 'barf up Henry'.....

.but I still think Little Red Riding Hood is behind this.

Either way....poor Henry.

you ever make cake for no reason at all?

We like to do that around here.... makes the day better when there's something to look forward to, and what better than CAKE!

Michael wanted me to put these pictures of the walking stick on (Phasmatodea)

We found this in our back yard and boy, are they NEAT creatures........

Have you ever seen one?? I only have twice in my life. We let it go on our tree after we took these pictures.

my little people that make me smile :)

Artiom gnawing on the wood like a beaver.....

brothers playing in the fort.....

my little Alex and our collie/llama Cooper....

My sweet Michael with a walking stick on his face.....:)

This one just because Alex makes me smile with his cuteness....

My pretty little sweet pea, Summer.....

And this one of Toma just to show how LIGHT his hair has gotten with the SUN!!!! It's nearly blonde now. :)