Photo update....

So busy I just got time to check the camera...here are some new pics...

Two years ago today...

we climbed in a car for a three and a half hour ride towards the rest of our lives...leaving Vladivostok Russia to meet a brother and sister in Spassk-Dalny. A brother and sister that did not even know what being a brother and sister meant, as they had spent very little time together and no time together with parents or family or outside of the Detski Dom in Spassk. Wow what a ride that has turned out to be. Two great kids who continue to learn what being a family means, continue to learn how to make decisions (good and bad) for themselves, continue to learn to speak, read and write a whole new language, continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
The ride did not end with that stop in that Far Eastern Russian town. It continues down a road that, although it has bumps, continues to bless their mother and I with the family we had dreamed of. The family we had hoped for and the family we love. To John and Kristina and Keegan, HAPPY The lord has brought us together day! We love you and look forward to continuing down the road of life with you.

Dad.

It has been a long time.......

Some good things have happened......and some not so good things have happened.....


The kids went into a hurricane simulator with Kelli (the babysitter's daughter). They had a blast and laughed the whole time.


John trying bungee jumping.....Kristina tried it too but the picture did not turn out as well. They had a blast and didn't want to stop.

A boy and his dog. John loves the dogs and is around them as often as possible.

We took the kids to the Monster Trucks again this year. This year the big winner was Monster Mutt that just so happens to be Kristina's favorite. We all had a good time and even got to go into the pits to see the truck upfront and even got to get all the driver's autographs before the event started.

Since our last post.........

We welcomed a new family member....a new great niece Victoria Raine Cornejo!

We had parent teacher conferences for both of the kids and they are both doing great. Krisitina is reading better and better and John has started reading a little. We could not be prouder.

We took Keegan to a college fair to look at colleges for Keegan. He will be graduating June 2012. It is scary to us that this time is upon us.

We lost a member of our family. My sister Diane passed away on February 26th. She will be greatly missed by all of us.

I had my 47th birthday......

We travelled to Peoria this past weekend and met some friends that we haven't seen in a long time and got re-acquainted.

Kenny became a godfather again on Sunday to Jacinda Marie Estep and we got to catch up with old friends there and make some new ones also.

Things we have to look forward to......

Keegan will be taking the ACT on April 9th. Wish him good luck!

Kristina is playing softball this year.

John is playing T-ball again this year.

I am sure there are many more things happening and hopefully I will be better about updating the blog.

So until then.......

A Great Idea.....

A blogging friend of ours is in between trips 1 and 2 to go back to Vladivostok to bring home their second adopted son. They had a GREAT idea to make a book of other adopted children from that area to show to the MOE (Ministry of Education) and show them how happy and how good all the children look in their new homes, lives, ect. Here is what we sent them for our kids. Wow have they changed or what? Thank you to the Overstreets for doing this.

Referral Picture taken September 2008 received March of 2009.
Kristina DOB 10/25/2001
Ivan DOB 12/13/2004
Adoption Date: October 20, 2009
Institution: Spassk Children’s Home
Name of Territory: Primorsky Krai

Kristina Pauline Duda – Second Grade taken October 2010.
John Thomas Duda – Kindergarten taken October 2010.

I see the kids everyday and still can not believe the change in them!!! What do you think?

Our Awesome Kids............

John - Kindergarten

Kristina - Widget Black Cheerleader 2010

Kristina - Second Grade

Keegan - Junior Year

Keegan - Varsity Football (Junior Year)

Happy New Year!

Click on the picture to read the card!

The kids were troopers and made it to midnight! Then John asked, "Can I go to bed now?"

Christmas 2010

Where to begin......

We celebrated Christmas not once, not twice, but six different times. Yes, you read that correctly. Six times....

The first party was the weekend before Christmas - this party was with my mother's side of the family, so my Aunt and Uncles and Cousins and their kids. We have not been able to make this party in a few years so it was really nice to get to attend this year. The kids had a blast and even got to see Santa.

The next party was the following night....that was at our good friends house. We do not have any pictures because we left the camera in the car and when I did take pictures, they were all foggy. But again the kids had a blast and got to see Santa again.

The next party was the following night. This party is hosted my my mother in law and step father in law. We got an extra special gift this year.....Kenny's sister, brother in law, and their three kids were able to travel to the states from Germany to celebrate with us this year. My brother in law Don is a Lt. Colonel in the Army and they have been stationed there for the past year and a half. Their youngest, Grace was born in July 2009, so this is the first time we have gotten to see her since she was 3 weeks old. So it was very exciting for everyone. The kids had a blast and again Santa made an appearance. This time Santa talked to the kids and knew what they wanted for Christmas, so they were very intrigued by the man in the red suit. They wanted to know where he parked the reindeer. Oh to be young again!!!!

Keegan & Santa Claus

John & Santa Claus (He is even smiling) What an accomplishment!

Kristina & Santa - this is when Santa told her that he knows she wants an i-pod for Christmas!
Thanks Santa!

The next party was on Christmas Eve with Kenny's family. As usual we had a blast. Mom spoils all of us - not just the kids. We love her for it! The kids got lots of toys, clothes and things. Even the big kid got everything he wanted.

Our family picture

Next party......Christmas morning.........

Look at all the loot.......

Someone is very spoiled......


Keegan & his snuggie!

John & Kristina with their ride on scooters.

They love them and have been riding them around the house since.

The dogs are not real fond of this gift from Santa.

The afternoon of Christmas Day, my family comes to celebrate Christmas. This year we have new family members, our great niece Erika, our great niece Caitlyn and our great nephew Zachary. We were blessed that almost the whole family was able to attend this year's celebration. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish everyone the happiest of New Year's. We pray that everyone's dreams come true! So until next year.......Merry Christmas from the Duda Family of Five!!!!

Kenny, Gloria, Keegan, Kristina & John