Christmas . . . 2008 Review

Hello, Dear Family & Friends . . .

Another wonderful year! Each year seems to speed forward and becomes as busy as the last. I guess that means we are totally living life to the fullest. As we close 2008 and look forward to 2009, it reminds me time is moving way to fast! Life is just so wonderful . . . and, I so wish there was a way to slow time down for those precious childhood moments. Of course, that is every parent’s wish! J Yes, BUSY is the word for our life these days.

B lessings that far exceed expectations.
U nlimited 5 year-old hugs & kisses.
S miles that light up each and every day.
Y earnings to finally hold my 2nd child.

My 5 year old Nicholas, my sweet baby Tyoma, is all little boy now. He is all about “I can do it, Mommy!” and “Can I help, Mommy?” As promised, Nicholas started playing beginner soccer in March. He loves it! It is so much fun watching the little ones learn the game. Playing 3-on-3, no scores, no goalie, just kick the ball! The 6-body huddle moves wherever the ball goes! He played soccer in both the Spring and Fall seasons and he cannot wait until the next soccer season. I will say, I think Nicky is a natural (I know, a mother’s biased). June/July was again full of swimming lessons. I attended Nicky’s last day of swimming lessons and watched as he made a dive into the deep end (gulp!) and swam under water the length of the pool. Nicholas seems to have a very natural, athletic ability and it certainly helps in directing his non-stop, action-packed, b-ou-nd-less energy! August, Nicholas experienced the milestone of Kindergarten. He considers himself such a very “big” boy; since he is one of the oldest now at his school (oldest students are 5-6 year olds!). This will be our final year at our wonderful little daycare/school, just down the street from Mama’s work. “Kindy Day” I thought would be just another daily, school drop-off. After all, we do this every morning! I had prepared myself! All I can say is . . . the emotional reality of my little guy growing up caught me off guard. In a quiet moment, as I sat stirring my morning cup of coffee . . . the tears fell. I tearfully thanked God for the precious gift of my son. What a wonderful moment for a parent to have! October was Fall Festival & Halloween with a school carnival, HalloZOOween and neighborhood trick-or-treating. Nicholas was a very “fast” Race Car Driver. Race cars are one of Nicky’s favorites these days. He carries a race car wherever he goes and is on his knees racing them all the time (the holes in his jeans prove it)! However, his 1st love of fire fighters/fire trucks is still at the top of the fav list! But, a race car is easier to tuck in a jeans pocket. I now have to make a mental note to always check his pockets before doing laundry! December, Nicholas will turn 6 years old on the 19th. He is learning to read and add/subtract. He loves to sound out street signs riding in the car and loves to count his piggy bank coins! He is starting to read to me at night. It is so amazing to watch him accomplish new developmental milestones. As you can tell, I am just such a proud Mommy! He is just so full of joy, so cute and funny, and his smile lights up my life. I have said it every year and many, many times, but nothing sums it up better, so please bear with me as I say it again – He is just a precious child, pure joy and the love of my life!

Mommy celebrated her 10 year anniversary with Helmerich & Payne this year. Where has the time gone? As of April, I moved into a new position, but still continue to manage human resources information systems for payroll, compensation & employee health/retirement benefits. In October, the passing of my dear boss, mentor and friend, Earl Stroud, was a deep loss. I miss him dearly, every day. Professional changes and challenges, along with the usual application technical support, development and database management, have created a very busy professional year. Along with my 1st priority of my little boy, it is everything I love! On the personal side, I try to keep my blog up to date (as best I can with my schedule!). I love to write about my precious family, single parenthood and my international adoption journey. It gives me another path for creative expression and it is such good therapy! If you have an interest, follow along with our forever family at http://www.nrbfamily.blogspot.com/.

And of course, there is our sweet puppy dog, Katy Sue! She turned 7 years old this year in April. The love/hate relationship still exists between Nicky and Katy, each one wanting to be the center of Mommy’s attention. But one of Nicky’s chores is to feed Katy and I have now noticed a more playful, loving relationship between them. Nicky loves to tell her to “sit” and “stay”. It is so cute to watch them play. Ahhh, my wonderful “children”! We had Christmas pictures taken with Katy this year and what an experience that was! She still lives for her all-important “ear rub” and loves to stretch and lay on whoever is close by. I’m still her best human buddy and there will always be a special, unique relationship between the two of us. After all, she is my 1st born!

For those of you wondering about baby #2, a Russian adoption update – Still waiting . . . In January, unexpected decisions unfortunately led to significant delays. Then, unexpected closings began in April within several of the regions in Russia, which caused even more delays within my 2 regions of registration. Once everything settled in late summer, it was hopeful I would travel to Russia in October/November, but that plan did not happen. So, another dossier is being registered in a 3rd region in Siberia (January 2009 registration timeframe) and we are hopeful for spring travel dates. After 3 years of waiting, homestudy/document updates and 4 different dossiers registered within 3 different regions, I am an expert on the paper-chasing (dossier) process. All I can say is . . . there is a reason. Someday, we will know and understand. Until then . . . even though the waiting is very difficult, there is no doubt in my mind – God’s timing is perfect. I will definitely keep everyone updated, by email and family blog, on when we finally are able to bring our little one home.

A few other highlights added to our year . . . In May we traveled to Benkelman, NE to celebrate my niece’s (Meghann B) graduation from University of Nebraska and in June we traveled to Austin, TX to celebrate my nephew’s (Joel S) high school graduation. They were children just yesterday! Nicky absolutely loved the airplane flight to Texas and slept most of the way during the drive to Nebraska! In hopeful anticipation of our Russia travels for baby #2, we stayed very close to home most of the year, but did take in some very fun local activities. June/July/August were months full of weekend swimming at our local water park, Big Splash. Nicky’s favorite thing to do at the water park is to jump off the diving platform. He also loved playing “Swimming Olympics” and won the gold medal over and over again. Nicky still loves to ride the train at the Tulsa Zoo and is just in awe of the sharks at the Tulsa Aquarium. September marked our 4rd “Gotcha Day” as a Family. We love to celebrate the special day with our wonderful family friends. And . . . our special Baney family tradition always makes it complete – releasing balloons in remembrance of all the “waiting children” of our world. As we watch the balloons go up, up, up . . . we remember . . . and also pray for those children still “waiting”. Also in September, we enrolled in our 3rd year of Russian language classes. It is getting harder . . . and we are now past the beginner A,B,C’s and 1,2,3’s. We are now mastering masculine, feminine and neuter adjectives and nouns. Keeping it all straight is a challenge, but is really a lot of fun! And, it keeps Nicholas involved in his Russian heritage (Mama too), which I consider very important. One very BIG event occurred in October, spending the day with Thomas the Train! It was kept a secret until we drove up to the train tracks. Little Nicky’s eyes were so wide-eyed in amazement at seeing life-sized Thomas! It was a very fun surprise and just a wonderful day!

And finally, we come to the end of 2008, totally amazed at how quickly the busy year has gone by. We treasure all of our wonderful Blessings . . . health, accomplishment, growth, purpose, fellowship, faith, childhood, family, laughter and love. And, yes, moments of sadness, challenges, disappointment and pain, but opportunities for blessings as well. Our Heavenly Father gives us a strong, steady spirit to move forward through it all.

“Count it ALL Joy . . . “ (James 1).

Have a blessed Holiday Season.

With love to all our family & friends,

Nancy & Nicky
(Katy)