December 21-25

Things are going amazing with Lera. She is so sweet and so happy.

She has a permanent smile on her sweet face.

To leave off where I left last post....
I took Lera shopping for clothes. It was just her and I and at first she didnt' know what to do. I would hold things to her and she would shake her head yes or no. She was so cute in the store. She walks so close behind me I almost bumped in her a or would turn around and not see her because she was so close to me on the other side. When I turned to go pay for the clothes her eyes got really wide in shock. I guess she thought I was just going to have her try things on. She all of a sudden had the cutest smile plastered on her that she could not shake. It was almost like she was trying not to smile and was embarrassed.

When we came out of the store she put her arm around my waist and we walked holding each other. She is precious. By the time I got to the second store she figured it out. We were shopping for her and she knew what to do. We picked out 4 pairs of shoes for her and off to the third store to find a lightweight jacket and stockings. She was a happy camper. Thrilled to say the least. I just could not have her wearing the things she brought. She is too pretty to not be in pretty clothes.

We then picked up some Mexican food on the way home and I was surprised to see her gobble it up. She is so happy and so comfortable here. We then put all her clothes away and did our bedtime routine. She does not fuss about bedtime and sleeps perfect all night. I always go in after she gets in a bed and tuck her blankets around her and kiss her cheek. She loves this and smiles and giggles. She is so easy going. She is also more comfortable with Gary. We started noticing that every time he would walk in a room she would walk out. It only seemed to be a day of it and I was worried it would last but it didn't. She loves him :0).

When she woke up (22nd) she took a nice bubble bath and put on one of her cute new outfits. She loves the bubble bath and swims around like a little mermaid. We then jumped in the car to head back to San Francisco to meet one of the children from Ukraine who had issues with his passport last minute and could not fly with the rest of the group. When we got there her and I had lunch together and then went down to sit with "Koyla's" host family and wait for him to come out.

When Kolya came out to meet his host family he came over to Lera for a second and stood next to her in his little shy manner. He was adorable. I asked her when we had lunch if she liked Kolya and she said "no"..lol. I asked her if he was a good boy and she said "yes". They are from the same orphanage. When we left she seemed so happy and almost skipped out of there. She holds my hand everywhere and looks up at me like she loves me. I just adore her. She always has that sweet smile and starting to show more teeth now. :0)...yay.

 When we got back we played outside and rode bikes and then walked to grandma's house to see her horse. Lera loved the horse but was not really sure about getting to close. When she walks with me she prefers to hold my hand or have our arms around each other. It's so cute. I love her so much. We all do.

When we got back I took her to the Eastern Europe store on the corner so she could pick out some food. The lady spoke Russian to her and she told me Lera's was very shy. It was like pulling teeth to get her to decide on anything (I blame it on the fact she is a girl!). We came out with a box of "old fashion cheese", Bulgarian honey, a type of Bulgarian hot dog (yummy I must say), and a couple sweets and cookies. She loves the cheese and honey the most. I have not tasted it yet but it looks like ricotta. The lady was so sweet to Lera and I am sure we will visit there often.

The next day 23rd, we stayed close to home and just wanted Lera to get comfortable doing family life. Gregorio is so in love with her and gets so jealous when she wants to play with Giuliana. I keep asking her if Grego is bugging her and she says no.

Around 5pm Cody, my 21 y/o, came home to spend Christmas with us. He brought his friend also and when they got there Lera was really quiet and just stood back to observe them as they ate really fast before we headed out. We went to a small local amusement park to watch a Christmas light show. When we got there we found out it was not until 8:30, ugh. So we rode some rides and left because it was freezing and Giuliana was not feeling well. Lera was a trooper and rode the rides. Every time she got off a ride she would run over and hug me, soooo

24th we got up and I took Lera with me for some last minute Christmas shopping. We had so much fun. She is my little angel. She likes to try and find things for me. She will wrap a scarf around me or look through clothes and find something she wants me to get. It's like she has turned into my best friend.

We got back and got ready for dinner. We had a bunch of family over for Christmas Eve and she had a wonderful time. She was not scared or funny about having a bunch of people over. She actually came out of her shell even more and started being silly and funny and by the end of the night she was hanging out with all the kids at the table playing cards. She also discovered my camera and became the family photographer for the night. She had lots of fun with Cody as he was quite silly with the faces and poses. She got to open a couple gifts and Luke, Cody friend, bought her a coloring book to open. This was the best! She sat and colored at the table with the boys until bedtime. She seems quite fond of Cody and Luke now, especially Luke. I think it's because she has two older brothers and they feel comfortable to her.

Christmas morning she got to open a bunch of gifts from Santa. It was adorable. She would take each one she opened bring it to show me and then run it into her room. I then got them all ready to go to my mom's. She looked beautiful. She seemed so elated to be in pretty closes. She is so proper and stands so tall and proud. We all kept telling her how stunning she was. She was soooo happy to be with family.

We got to my mom's and opened some gifts. My mom went a little overboard but that is grandma for ya. Lera loved all of it. Lots of pretty things that she loved. Again, she ate well and just has a happy glow about her. She had the camera again and also helped in the kitchen. That is her new thing also. She helps me prepare dinner. She loves that. She likes to be given little tasks like peel garlic or smash butter. She is learning to be Italian :).

We left my mom's around 2pm and went home to clean up and put gift away. We had so much fun. They played with each gift a little and then found a spot for it. Giuliana got a CD player with microphones and I put on a Barbie DVD and Lera enjoyed singing to it. She skips around and talks up a storm now. She is just adorable. She also sat at the piano and tried to play it. I think I will get her a couple lessons before she leaves. After dinner Grego played the piano for everyone and we sang songs. She loved it. Giuliana also got up and sang for everyone. I think this has inspired Lera. When she sits at the piano she looks like she is made for it.

She also wants to help me do dishes and dries all the glasses and stacked them neatly. She likes things organized and clean and loves to be a part of everything.

We all adore this little angel. She fits right in and has bonded with all of us. WE LOVE HER!
I am going to upload the photos now and let her see all of them on the computer. Then send them off to be printed so she can work on her photo album to take home with her.

We are packing now to head to our ranch. She has lots of arts and craft she got for Christmas so it will be a good time for us to sit around and do those and play games. I won't have computer so will update when I get back. We are hoping to see Vadym and his family on our way back. I'll update then.

I am excited that I got an amazing camera for Christmas from my hubby. I am hoping to really capture Lera's true beauty, inside. She has shown us her sad little face in a photo for over a year. Everyone needs to see what is really behind those sad eyes in that picture. It's an amazing little angel and that photo does not even begin to show who she really is.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

December 21st.

So this morning my kids were up bright and early. Giuliana woke up once last night and I went in and patted her back for a second. Lera woke up but was fine and went back to sleep.

When I went in her room this morning she had her Barbie. I went and got her the Russian kids books and bible I bought her. She sat and looked at them for about an hour. Grego was either on the foot of her bed or in her face. He loves her so much.

I got everyone ready and teeth brushed. I bought an outfit from American Girl and she loves it and put it on. I noticed when she took off her PJ's she still had her tshirt and stockings on. I am having a hard time getting her to take off those stockings. Even though they didn't match her new skirt, she wanted them on. These are the kind of things you don't fight in the beginning. It's usually some kind of security blanket. I just want to wash them!

We headed to the dentist to get Giuliana's teeth cleaned. They took Lera on a tour of the office and gave her a toy. She got to see Giuliana get her teeth cleaned with no fuss. Her appointment is next month. We have THE BEST pediatric dentist. He does all the work for my host kids for free. He is a blessing and a gift from God. He is the nicest guy and great with the kids. He could not believe how beautiful she was.

We came home and I pulled out Lera's bicycle. She was so happy and rode it with a huge smile for an hour. Then she got on the swing set and we played for a while. Then we just started walking through the vineyard and decided to head over to my mom's. Grego kept putting her arm around Lera and Giuliana would hold the other hand. Whenever Lera can she runs next to me. She is very bonded to me already and prefers to sit or walk right next to me.

We got to my mom's and she fed the kids snack and gave Lera a couple of her small Christmas presents. A Justin Beber CD and pillow pet. She cherishes her gifts. It's so precious.

My mom gave us a ride home. When we got in the car Grego looked at Lera and commented how beautiful she was. I told her what he said on Google translate and she blushed her sweet smile. We got home and the kids went crazy playing. I was so happy to see Lera cracking up. Giuliana and Lera hold hands and run around the house. Grego gets super jealous because he wants all of Lera's attention. Lera definitely is a girly girl and loves Giuliana.  

Giuliana passed out and we put on a movie to take a break. Gary checks in all day and Lera really seems to like him. He fixed her bike seat and is coming home later so I can take her shopping. She needs everything. She brought a ton more clothes than I have seen from an orphanage but most are way too small for her. She needs pretty shoes, leggings, and a lighter jacket. I also just ordered her a cute outfit for Christmas. She loves it. She will definitely be in style!

I already can tell it's going to be a major heart breaker when she leaves. We have bonded fast. I bought two angels from the winery Christmas fair. I keep telling Lera and Giuliana that these are my two little angels sent from God. Their names are Lera and Giuliana. Lera loves this and gives me her puppy eyes and shy smile. So cute. These are the flowers we gave her at the airport.

I'll report more and post pics about today in a bit. It seems to be nap time at my house to need to take advantage of cleaning.

December 20th

So we started out the day picking up the Hershon's at the airport. We drove half hour and got to their hotel only to find out we left their laptop at the other airport. So back and forth we went. We then had a two hour lunch killing time and trying to keep our minds off the excitement of the kids coming. Jo and I talked the most. We talked a bunch about our wonderful summer hosting and the boys who melted our hearts.

Then off to the airport for another two hour wait for the kids to get through customs. Well it seemed like two hours. It was fun to hang out with all the families.

Then the kids came out and there was our little Lera. She saw me and lit up and gave me a huge smile. She came right to me and gave me a shy hug. I introduced her to her new family and then we sat down to wait for the translater. Grego was instantly in love. He looked at her and said "mom, she is beautiful". This is a 6 year old boy. Too cute.

When the translator finally came she told us she didn't want anything except to hurry and get home and away from all the craziness. She wanted "quiet and calm". Great, this was not going to be happening at my house :0/. I then asked her all the questions I could to make sure she was ok (hungry, thristy, happy, scared). She was totally fine and happy.

We got lots of pictures and Gary got her water. Then off we went. No tears or fears. She was quiet but would always give us smiles. Super sweet girl.

I did see Vadym's sister at the airport. I almost died. I ran over as soon as I could and hugged her. Gary and I were so happy to see her and she is so beautiful. I had this ache in my heart because it was only 6 months ago we were doing this same thing with Vadym. (miss him and going to see him next week).

Lera slept on the way home and when we got there she just came right with us like she new what to do. I showed her the house and bathroom and had her brush her teeth. She still didn't want to eat but I make popcorn and put a Christmas movie on. I gave her a new pajama dress I got from American Girl. She didn't want to put it on right away so I put the matching one I got on Giuliana and Lera started laughing because it was so big....score on the laugh!!! Woot!.

The kids were so in aw over her, they would sit on her bed and watch all she did. She didn't seem to mind but I am sure she just wanted her space.

She loved her bed and opened the Barbie we gave her at the airport. She loves this doll. She sat and played with her hair and watched a movie and played dolls with Giuliana until 11. I didn't want to force bedtime and they were bonding so I just let it happen. That is until Giuliana started getting way too tired and turning into a stinker with me. So I pulled the covers down and Lera got her PJ's on and crawled in. I had Giuliana give her a kiss and then I reached down and kissed her other cheek. She smiled and seemed so happy and content. I lyed down in Giuliana's bed so she wouldn't keep getting up and bugging Lera and within 5 minutes both were fast asleep.

It was a great day and Lera is beautiful and so sweet. She is very quiet and doesn't talk except to Giuliana when I leave the room. She will just nod her head yes or no when I ask her things.

So far score! Tomorrow the plan is to keep a smile on that beautiful face. Check back later for the pictures...and maybe my spell check will be working :0/ Sorry bout those. .

Our Little Angel is on the Plane.

Meet Lera,

She is a stunning little girl who lives in an orphanage in Ukraine. We are hosting her in our home for Christmas. I just got word that she is on the plane headed to America with a group of 14 orphans we have worked hard to find host families for. They all come from different orphanages around Ukraine. Some are adoptable and some are not. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them and life changing. We love to host and we love the kids.

I first saw Lera almost a year ago when I was directed to a website that had lists of children to host and adopt from Ukraine. At the time we were looking to host a boy but her sweet little face was so hard to not notice and fall in love with. My only thought at the time was how beautiful she was and that she was going to be snatched up by a family right away.

I then went to Ukraine last October to visit orphanages and bring donations. I was about to do my own hosting program and wanted to see what life was all about for orphans in Ukraine first hand.

I met amazing and beautiful children all over the country. On my last day in Ukraine I was in my going over my list of children with my Ukraine partner, Ilona. We were in her office and she was teaching me what was needed for adoptions, how to update her website and Facebook and how to load the photos of the children I had met. When we came across this beautiful girl I asked her who she was. Ilona told me her name and that she was on my list to host. My eyes got big. I could not believe it. I of course new instantly who my host child was going to be.

I actually had two children selected to host. Lera and a 9 year old boy from her orphanage. One of the boys selected to host with one of my families got adopted at the last minute so they will host Kolya. He is from Lera's orphanage. He is being hosted by an amazing family and they plan to advocate for him.

We had total 14 children hosted and flying into California. The kids and their chaperone are on the plane now and will arrive tomorrow. I have my poster ready and gift for Lera and my kids are bouncing off the walls, excited she is coming. I bought a day bed for my daughter's room and all new bedding for Lera. It's a bed for a princess. She also has lots and lots of presents coming from Santa. I know Christmas not all about gift and we will teach her that, but it was almost impossible to go to any store and pass by girl things and not grab something for her. Just like I do with my other little princess.

She has a 15 year old brother at the same orphanage. He will be getting lots of presents from Santa also. She has a mother that is unable to care for them thus why they live in an orphanage. Her mother writes to then often and loves and misses them. I am sure Lera misses her also. That in itself is so heartbreaking for me to think about. I just think about my three year old and how she would feel if I was not with her anymore.  That is all I know about her. I am just excited to share our life and love with her.

This will be our journey with this amazing little girl. I know we had a huge following last summer when we hosted our sweet boy Vadym who is now back living in California with an amazing family. Although Lera lives in an orphanage, she is not available for adoption at this time so we are just taking this time to love her, cherish her, and make her a part of our family during our short time with her. After this trip she will be a part of us no matter what happens in the future.......