One year ago today.......

...Our lives changed forever...We first met Kristina and John, fell in love with them and began finalizing our transition to a family of 5. We could not be any happier...We knew immediately that we found our kids and continue to grow as a family today. The pictures on the left are from our visit one year ago and the pictures on the right are the kids recent school pictures.

John doesn't really like others taking his picture. He will smile for us but not for someone he doesn't know!

One year ago today.......

.......we met "Scary T" at the MOE (Ministry of Education) and got our formal invite to visit the kids.

One year ago today.....

.......we were on a flight to Russia to meet the kids!!!!

The kids and I have been home for six months today

Things around the Duda house are a little different these days….

…….girl things like dresses, dolls, nail polish, barrettes, ponies, hair clips, etc.

…….little boy things like monster trucks, matchbox cars, toy trains, etc.

…….No more sleeping in…our air breathing alarm clocks climb in bed and snuggle us awake (and we love it).

One thing hasn’t changed…………….. The fun this Duda family can have. We know it has been six months since the kids have been home and some days it feels like that but most of the time it feels like they have been in our family forever. We all could not be happier. Keegan is an awesome big brother who loves to be with the kids. He can’t get enough of them and they can't get enough of him.

There is little to no Russian spoke in the house anymore unless it is “Speak Russian Night” (Kristina’s idea). But that usually does not last very long because none of us know enough Russian (any more) to speak it for an entire evening.

There are very few foods that the kids won’t eat as a matter of fact, I can’t even think of any in particular. Not only have their tastes changed, but so has their volume…they are eating more, growing, filling out and looking so much healthier.

They love the American Flags that their Grandma and Papa Harry gave them and wave it very proudly every chance they get. Every time we see a US flag the kids proclaim “look mom or dad there is a flag”

Kristina says that she loves her house, her yard, her toys, her dogs and mostly her family.

John says that he loves his monster trucks, his cars, his toys, his dogs and his family.

So even though it has only been six months, we could not be happier.

Thank you all for your support from this very grateful and happy Duda Family of Five!!!

Kenny, Gloria, Keegan, Kristina and John

Getting it off my chest....

I was just reading another blog (Cupcake and Caseys) and there was an entry about some of those stupid conversations that us adoptive parents have with people...you know those questions that really make you want to reach out, slap the person and say "do you hear what you are saying?" Ok so here's the question that I despise the most regarding our kids..."Are they brother and sister?" Immediately the hair on the back of my neck stands up!!!! I get that surge of adrenalin and have to work hard to control my response. My mouth opens to reply and I really want to say something like "no you idiot they are cousins!" or "Well we adopted them both so what the H#$% do you think?". Typically I take a deep breath and reply with just a simple "Yes", but oh so tempted!

Brothers and Sister...

We get many questions as to how Keegan is doing having a little brother and sister in his life. Well he is doing great! I was away for business last week at the McDonalds World Wide Convention (and I was loving it). Keegan stepped up and helped his mom get his siblings ready for school each morning as well as taking care of his usual responsibilities. He really does enjoy being a big brother and we love having his help with his brother and sister. Their relationships continue to grow as we all spend more time together and We are enjoying each and every day. The pictures I have attached show Keegan and Kristina watching Saturday cartoons together and Keegan and John sleeping in Johns bed during a weekend afternoon catchup nap. We could not be more proud of how our oldest son has taken to his new role as "Big Brother".

Together for six months.....

Yesterday was the six month anniversary of our "gotcha day"! I was so busy at work I actually forgot what the date was. Kenny is still in Orlando (Lucky him!) for work so it was just the four of us. Keegan and John had t-ball practice and Kristina and I worked on her homework. She needed to read the story from her Reading book. She also received her 4th quarter progress report. She is now receiving a grade in each subject except Spelling. So she got grades in reading, phonics, math, science, social studies and individual writing. We are so super proud of her, she is really picking it all up. We got a note from her teacher, that she is learning to tell time and has mastered the hour and half hour concept. Yesterday, she also used a dictionary to look up words for reading class. According to the assistant t-ball coach, John had his best practice yet! Kenny is the head coach, but he is out of town. John is still doing very well in pre-school and looking forward to his field trip to Elwood School to see his kindergarten room and meet the teacher. Keegan is always a big help with the kids. He is even helping coach John's t-ball team with his Dad. His grades are wonderful as always and he is looking forward to his birthday on May 27th so he can get his driver's license. Wow really, where has the time gone?

Can we say it loud enough....................WE ARE SO SUPER PROUD OF ALL THREE OF OUR KIDS!!!!! Thank you guys for making our life complete!!!

I have been unable to discuss the whole Torry Hansen fiasco and that really hasn't changed. I am so terribly angry and mortified that someone could do that to a child. We adopted our kids right after she adopted him. How could she not look for help or ask for help? That is what I do not understand. I get sick to my stomach even thinking about it. Because of her, so many children's lives are in limbo. A blogger friend has informed me that the judge in her case will not set a court date until she gets married. Torry Hansen was a single mother so this judge won't let another single mother get a court date until she gets married. Her and her fiance' wanted to wait to get married until she brought their boys (4 & 9) home. She has to re-do the home study after the marriage. They waited to get married because they were told that Russia looks badly on newlyweds adopting to soon. She is devastated. I can't blame her one bit. The other part that really bothers me, is the ignorance of people, the press, etc. Not all adoptions end badly. For the most part, they work great. Look at ours, we could not be happier! Sorry for the rambling.....this is why I have a hard time even typing about it.

So until later........................