Ryan and Natalie's first paddle boat ride

Ryan rides with Selanna and Gil

Ryan and Natalie

Enjoy

Children are home 6 months today

Hi everyone,

Sorry it has taken us so long to write on the blog. Stuart has done a great job with the pictures until our camera broke the beginning of March. We just bought a new camera and will be updating with new pictures soon.

Today, April 18, is the 6 month anniversary of the children arriving home to Raleigh. The children were officially ours on October 12, our court day. Ryan and Natalie are doing wonderfully. They are both speaking English and have a large vocabulary. They have understood us for months now. Ryan started speaking first and is now making sentences. Natalie, because she is younger, took longer to start to talk. She is talking now with a few words at a time. She is very soft spoken. Natalie is a great eater and not picky. Ryan eats very slowly and is highly motivated by dessert (at dinner only.)

Ryan and Natalie have been attending story time on Wednesdays at the library since November. The children enjoy the music, book, and getting two hand stamps. Story time lasts about 20 minutes.

They took movemement class on Wednesdays at 1 pm which we are now switching to Thursdays at 11 am. This class is led by Ms. Barbara and involves, stretching, running, tumbling, and flexibility. The child take turns and must follow Ms. Barbara's directions. The children began movement class in November as well.

In January, we joined a play group on Thursdays through North Raleigh Moms. We were in a play group with 4 Moms that rotated houses and 6 children. Although snacks were offered Ryan and Natalie rarely took a break from playing with the toys and children. We just recently started a new play group on Fridays that includes 5 Moms and 8 children.

When the weather was cold, Ryan and Natalie would go to Optimist, a local community center, and play in their huge gym. They supplied tricycles, balls, scooters, bowling pins, matts, and more. During nicer days, there are 5 different parks that the children would attend. Ryan really likes playing in the sand. Natalie gets bored quickly with the sand and both children enjoy the snake slides. Both also love to swing and wear out Mama and Papa's arms.

Ryan and Natalie have had several visits from Bubbie and Zadie Eluto and one visit from Uncle Phil, Stuart's brother. Grandma and Grandpa Kaskawits will be visiting the beginning of May.

We plan to make a trip to Virginia Beach around July 4th to stay with Bubbie and Zadie. Please wish Stuart luck on packing the car with the 4 of us, the 2 dogs, and all our stuff. Family wise, the children will get a chance to see Grandma Miriam, Sherry maternal Grandmother, Uncle Mark and Aunt Ilene, and Sherry's first cousin's Michelle and her family and Michael and his family.

The children will be attending camp at a Jewish Preschool the end of July through the beginning of August. Both children with start Preschool there in September.

We are enjoying and looking forward to the warmer weather. The children will be taking swimming lessons in a few weeks.

Ryan and Natalie are doing well with both Sugar and Lady. We do keep them separated at appropriate times. The children love to give the dogs their cookies.

I will do my best to post sooner next time.

Sherry, Stuart, Ryan, Natalie, Lady, and Sugar