Braces, Bed and Brother

Katya's life lately has been all about her braces, her bed and her brother. We have been to the orthodontist six times in the last three weeks because of loose wires, a new palette expander and general check-ups. We have to return tomorrow because we cannot turn the mechanism that widens her palette. Steven was home last week for spring break. Katya loved having someone to play basketball with and I loved having him home! Steven painted her new room for her which thrilled her to no end. We bought Katya a canopy bed but finding the right comforter, etc. has been a real challenge. I tried to talk Katya into choosing the comforter and window treatments FIRST, making the decision about the paint color around the linens. No, no, no. She insisted on painting the room in her choice of blue and selecting the soft furnishings second. Sounds easy? It's not. We have scoured the internet and all the local department stores trying to find linens she likes AND that match the walls. Today, I pulled some boxes out of storage and found the Laura Ashley set in the photo above. I didn't even ask her if she liked them, I just put them on her bed and waited for the explosion. To my surprise, she likes the pattern and seems happy. If Katya is happy, I'm happy.

Katya started soccer on Thursday and had a tough workout. This is her first time playing soccer so we don't know if she will like it as well as basketball. Time will tell. We'll keep you posted.

Stormy Atlanta!

Fred, Katya and I traveled to Atlanta on Friday to see my brother George and his family. We have had a wonderful time catching up, cooking, playing and even visiting the Atlanta zoo today. I should say George, Fred, Katya and Lillie visited the zoo; Jeanie and I shopped for decorating accessories for their beautiful home.

We weathered the storms Friday night and yesterday,experiencing wind, hale and a lot of rain! The tornado sirens were blaring yesterday afternoon and the golf-ball sized hale was beating my car to a pulp as we trekked down the highway in search of just the right piece of art for their living room. If we would have perished in the storm at least we would have died doing something we loved! I shouldn't joke, the storms were horrendous but rain, nor hale, nor wind, nor tornados could stop us from our mission of that perfect picture!

We don't know what's on the agenda for tomorrow, but the skies should be sunny so we'll see. My sister suggested the Atlanta aquarium, but I don't have the time to take out a second mortgage on my home to buy our tickets! It would be a $100 day by the time we purchase our aquarium passes, Marta tickets and lunch! Maybe we'll just see the new movie, "Horton Hears a Who." Two movie tickets, popcorn and drinks would only be $50!!

Can you believe it's been six months!

I can't believe Katya's already been here six months! The progress she's made in such a short period of time astounds me! We rarely struggle to communicate. She gets confused about multiple meanings of the same word which can be funny at times. She has assimilated into American culture beautifully. As I type this, she is watching her new favorite TV show: Project Runway! She loves edgy and chic fashion. (Check out her socks and flip-flop combo in the photo above!) She is comfortable in any social setting, but she's still a bit confused about some of the manners we observe, such as asking adults how old they are upon meeting them. When I took her to my office she asked my boss how much money she makes! She told her orthodontist braces cost too much money and he should be embarrassed. (I agree, and I want to know why braces are now in the $6,000 range? Katie and Steven's braces didn't exceed $3,000!) He told me he recently bought "another property" in Europe. I thought: "Of course you did, thanks to me."

Katya's basketball season ended last week but she will start soccer after spring break. Her spring breaks starts this Friday and we are heading to Atlanta to see my brother George and his family. We are really excited about the trip and family visit. It will be her first long car trip so I am loading up on books and activities. I am hoping she'll sleep a lot!

Tomorrow night is a Cultural Fair at her school and we will be representing Russia. Katya and I are setting up a table with Russian food, artifacts, books, flags and money for display. It should be a fun evening. Katya is proud of her heritage and I love that she has an opportunity to showcase the motherland! If she gets angry or upset she says, "I can't help it, I'm Russian!" She tries to use that excuse for not wearing a coat too, but I don't buy it!

Katya has made a wonderful best friend whom I adore. She could not have picked a nicer girl for a best friend. Elizabeth is a patient, kind-hearted child from a large family. I think that's where Elizabeth gets her patience as she has three younger siblings! We are taking Elizabeth with us to the beach this summer so Katya will have a playmate. We rented a house in Nag's Head, North Carolina the first week in August, so pray that the hurricanes stay away!

Thanks for checking in on our wonderful daughter! I'll start blogging again more frequently I promise!