Growing Up and Moving on Up

We've had a pretty busy and big week this past week.

Aidan's Fall/Winter Travel Hockey Team had their End of Season party last Saturday which was a lot of fun.  We found out that night that the coach for the Spring Team and for the 2006 Xtreme team would be someone we had not worked with before--added to the pre-tryout jitters, I tell you!  We were told he was a great coach and that he would do wonderful with our boys.  Okay then.

Tuesday and Wednesday were the tryouts.  Aidan did really really well.  Honestly, he looked really strong and powerful.  I jokingly told Pat that he was channeling Ovie!  And then later heard one of the parents tell someone else that Aidan looked like Ovie. . .LOL!!!

Aidan was selected for the team.  I was not surprised, but it is always really good to get the confirmation.  20 kids were selected: 18 skaters and 2 Goalies.  There will be 2 teams of 9 skaters and 1 Goalie each, A1 and A2.  Pretty sure Aidan will be on the A1 team.  When I emailed the coach to confirm Aidan's acceptance of his spot, the coach responded back within 5 minutes and told me he thought Aidan had done a fantastic job at tryouts and that he was impressed!  Cool!

The first practice will be Tuesday. . .

The other really big news from Tuesday was that Aidan passed his last Math Facts test for Second Grade.  He, along with 5 other kids in Second Grade, have moved on to multiplication tables!  Whoa!

Third Quarter ended on Friday and the kids will be off on Monday. . .so will I!!  They had an 80's dance on Friday.  Aidan insisted on going and we had to go with him.  Pretty funny to see these children dancing to 80's music.  Of course, the ones we were watching were Second Graders so they didn't dance that long. . .they began to chase eachother around the Gym. . .yes, there were five little girls chasing my baby.  Hmmmm. . .I wonder if this is a preview of the future.

And my baby. . .I think my baby isn't a baby anymore!  He told me last week that he hates the cute PJ's I bought him from Gymboree.  : (  They were adorable on him, too!  But, he is outgrowing them, so I took him to get some summery PJ's. . .I did a bad mommy thing and pointed at some with Dinosaurs on them. . .NO!  MAMA!  Ewww!!!!!  sorry. . .he did find some he liked.  He looks like a pre-teen now getting ready for bed.  How did that happen????  And all the cute ones with the cuffs around the wrists and ankles will be set aside for a yardsale.

And finally, although I think he is insane, Pat agreed with a bunch of other hockey dads to sign up for this adult learn to play class.  It begins in a week so last weekend, he went and got all of his gear at Total Hockey.  Whoa!  Well, hopefully no one will get hurt.  Coach Bucky, one of Aidan's first coaches, is heading up the class and he promised me Pat would be okay.  Alright then.

Of course, Aidan had to try on Pat's gear!!!  So funny!!

Boom!  Boom!  Firepower!!!

That's about it.  March is coming to a close (finally!) and it feels a bit like Spring (finally!!).  Although the sky is grey today and it supposed to rain off and on, it is actually in the 50's and it is still early!!  We just might get some porch sitting in. . .

Have a great weekend!

Six Years To Today's Joy

It's really hard to believe that six years have gone by since Pat and I stood in front of the Judge in the Krasnoyarsk court carefully explaining why we would be good parents for Aidan.  In all honesty, it sometimes seems surreal that we did that.  I know that we did--we have the scars to prove it (see this post http://www.stacypatandaidan.blogspot.com/2008/03/court-postponement.html).  But we did ultimately get our "Da" and that was what counted.  But, the thing is, Aidan fit so seemlessly (or so it seems now!) that it's hard to imagine that he has not always been with us!

And when I think about me, that day, so nervous and careful.  Worrying about every little thing I was saying.  Every nuance of every word.  My facial expressions.  My ability to show just who I was in one short hour (that seemed like an eternity at the time).  And the me on that day would never have imagined what joy this boy has brought to our lives.  It was still a dream.

And still, the me on that day, had hopes and dreams of what our family would become and how we would be.  But, I guess I still didn't have any idea at all that I would be arranging my entire life around my son's hockey schedule!!  Or his school homework!!  Or his play time!!  I didn't really have a concept of what being a mother meant.  I knew on a deep primordial level, but I didn't really know.  I had no idea the joy it would be to have my entire life wrapped up in everything my child is and does. Or about how fun it would be talking over things Aidan is doing or saying with Pat.  I really had no idea how in love with one little boy I would become!

I wish I could see that Judge again and thank her for giving us the chance to be his parents and to tell her what a wonderful human being he is becoming.  And already is.  And to thank Galina, the Director at the baby home and also tell her of the wonderful little man Aidan is.  And Yelena and Serge for all they did to help us make this happen.  I can't tell them personally, but I will send out to the cosmos my heartfelt and joyful thanks.

And now, six years later, I have the pleasure of sitting on the porch (yeah it was warm on Saturday!!!) and listening to Aidan play street hockey on our pipestem with his buddies.  Or having him come up and say, "Mom can I. . .???"  Or going over his homework and seeing so many marks indicating he is Exceeding requirements.

Oh the joy these six years have brought us.

And now, to celebrate, Aidan has his next travel team tryouts tonight.  And tomorrow night.  I did say my entire schedule is arranged around hockey, right?  : )

Have a great week.

Oy Vey

Well, this winter is not loosing it's grip at all.  I have had my head in the sand a bit lately, not wanting to hear so was a bit taken by surprise by another storm on Monday.  I did hear (after I got the call that school was cancelled) that we were expecting 1-3 inches of snow on Monday.  But really.  We ended up with 10 inches.  How wrong can you be???

Aidan has his hockey lesson on Monday mornings at 6 am.  His coach is Canadian.  So, do you think he cancels?  Nope.  I'm sure Pat thought we were crazy.  At least at first.  But, when I saw that there were about 9 inches of snow I had to clear off the car before we could hit the road, I already knew my office would be closed and I could take my time coming home.  So, Aidan and I got in the car and decided to have an adventure, one road at a time, and drive to the Ice House in Ashburn.  We made it just fine.  The roads were snow covered, and I had it in 4 wheel drive.  But, it really only took us about 5 minutes longer, even with me driving much slower.

And I'm glad we went!  No one showed up for the lesson after Aidan's, so Coach Troy kept the kids and ended up working with them for two hours!!  And then just let them play for another half hour.  They had a great time.

We got home a little after 9:00 and it was still snowing. . .

 We knew we needed to get out there to start clearing our driveway and pipestem, but Aidan was a tired boy. . .and so was Mama!!

So, we decided it could wait a couple of hours.  We did get out there later and got it all cleared.  And we're now hoping and praying that that is it, thank you very much!  We'd like to put these things (shovel and snow blower) away for good already!

Ah well.  At least it is March now. . .

In other news, it's hard to believe that six years ago today we landed in Moscow on our return trip!  We had left the US on the 18th and arrived early in the morning of the 19th nervous and excited and ready to get moving on this final legal portion of our journey to become parents.  It was snowing in Moscow that day, too. . .although, now that I think of it, Spring had already started here at home!  grrr. . .

Have a great rest of the week!

Refocusing Our Attention on Projects

We are in Hockey limbo right now.  Aidan's Power Play Select tryouts are still 10 days away and the Viper Elite team doesn't start until April 12th--4 weeks away.  But, there are some stick and shoots in the offing:  one in Haymarket today and one in Ashburn next weekend.  Plus his Monday morning lessons continue. . .

So, with the extra time, we have been focusing back on our project list.  The gas fireplace will be installed this coming week or the week after. . .yeah!!!  And finally!!!!  And of course Spring starts on March 20th. . .aw well.  We'll still have some chilly nights that will feel good by this fireplace.

The new very large big screen TV has been installed above where the gas fireplace is going. . .The people are life size on it!  It's fun, though, to watch hockey and movies on it.

After that, we're going to focus on getting that bar built in the Man Cave.  Finally.  And when that's done, our basement finishing project will be complete.  Finally.  After 7 years.  We don't want to rush anything!

We've been working on pricing gas cooktops, sinks and granite for the kitchen.  We can't seem to find what we want or need for the cooktop.  It's been a bit distressing.  I know what I want for the sink though--it's a granite composite and very nice looking.  Deeper.  And we have gotten sidetracked by a beautiful wood countertop we saw at Lowes that would look very nice on the island. . .so, we decided to table our kitchen remodel for one year.  We need to think through our options and wants for a bit and then we'll proceed with redoing everything next year.

In the meantime, we decided to move forward with replacing the rest of the carpet upstairs, do some painting and etc.  The carpet is original and I just can't begin to stomach having it cleaned again.  So, the three bedrooms are going to be converted to the wood floor like we have downstairs.  And then the hall way and both sets of stairs will be a slightly darker carpet with some kind of pattern (hide the stains!).  I mentioned the possibility of doing this to Pat last night and he was so happy!  He really liked this idea a lot and now I don't have to schedule another carpet cleaning. . .

The only other project we're hoping to do this year is redo our backyard (which sounds bigger than it really is) and put in the patio (again sounds bigger than it really is!)  I'm ready to refocus on the outside.  Alas, it would appear that this will need to wait for at least another few weeks as we have snow in our forecast.  Again.  sigh.

And since this blog is really supposed to be about Aidan. . .

Aidan is doing great in school.  There are two weeks left of the third quarter and I think he's going to have some E's again on his report card.  He had a Matter (liquid, solid, gas) test last week that we studied hard for.  I was thinking he didn't understand any of it but boy was I wrong!!  He not only got every answer correct, he did the extra section for additional points without a problem too!!  Woo Hoo!!  He did get a point off on his February quiz. . .he put down that there were 29 days in February.  This could be because he wasn't paying close enough attention or he has actually been hearing me say that we got the call to come back to Russia on February 29th.  Either way, my kiddo is still very smart!!!

He has decided he wants an Ice Skating Birthday Party again this year.  We haven't done one for a couple of years, but this will be fun for him.  And he can show off to all friends!  : )

And, I noticed the other day that the top of his head was right at my chin.  Sure enough, he has actually grown.  But, I'm not doing the official measurement until his birthday, still two months away.

Last Saturday, I bought him new sneakers. . .they make me think of sunshine!

And yes, I did try them on.  And yes, they fit me perfectly. . .he's now wearing a 4 1/2 shoe (boys) which made me look at his skates. . .I think he needs new skates!  They have to be too tight, although he's not complained yet.

This afternoon, Aidan and I have a Mommy and Aidan date.  We're going to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman and then go to dinner.  Our friends, Joan and Ian are joining us.  We met Ian when Aidan was in Mini Mites a few years ago and have stayed in touch.  Such fun!!  Sadly, the dads, Tom and Pat, can't join us this time.  Hopefully next time!!

Tomorrow I'm thinking of taking Aidan to a Free Skate (Idon't know why they call it that because it's not free. . .)  

That's about it!  Time to go and color my hair. . .I have a bit of grey that needs to be covered up.

Have a great weekend!

Spring? Are you out there?

So, last Friday afternoon, while still feeling giddy that it was the end of February. . .February 28th. . .I heard a horrible rumor.  About a coming snow storm.  Nononononononono!!!  (fingers in the ears and stomping).

But, it was true.  I tried to ignore it.  In fact, it rained all afternoon on Sunday and I kept thinking, See?  It's just going to rain!.  But, no.  It changed over to freezing rain and sleet in the middle of the night and was coming down so hard it woke me up.  sigh.  And when we got up, there were several inches of snow on the ground on top of that ice.  All the rain, freezing rain and sleet made up for about 1/2" of ice under the snow, which ended up totalling about another 6 inches.

And then, to add insult to injury, it was 3 degrees on Tuesday morning when I was driving to work!!!  3 degrees!!!  It's not supposed to be 3 degrees in March!!!

It's Lent now.  I have a couple of new Lenten Disciplines, but one prayer stays in my head constantly.  Will you join me??

Lenten prayer:  Please God, make it be Spring?  PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?

On Saturday, which was pretty decent weather wise, we got together with my in-laws for a special birthday dinner.  As previously mentioned, it was my father in laws birthday.  Great time at Blue Ridge Grill (one of our favorites) and then cake and presents back at our house.  I did take Aidan over for his school skate time and then we came back to finish the celebration.

 Good times.

Aidan slept over at his friend Jake's house on Monday night.  We knew he didn't have school on Tuesday so it worked out.  How strange thought to not have my kiddo around in the morning?????  Jake is spending the night here on Friday night.  These two are becoming fast friends.

PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?

Aidan's musical tastes are evolving.  It's really rather cute to hear him say, I really like that song, Mama!!  In all of our travelling around the region for hockey, we've been listening to a lot of Top 40.  It's all good.  His current favorites, which can also be heard during his hockey games before and in between periods are Timber and Counting Stars.  I actually downloaded them to my phone so we can add them to our iPod. . .

Aidan's House League team lost the last game, but they were still happy.  They played hard and really did improve.

PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?

The time is about to Spring Forward.  This is the only thing I don't like about Spring.  It really has nothing to do with more or less light to me.  It's all about the change in the sleep patterns.  I hate that lost hour!!!  I miss my lost hour!!!  And the older I get, the harder it is to recover from that lost hour!!!  sigh.  I'll be alright.

There was a little thing I saw in the Russian Life magazine we get.  It had to do with the Dima Yakovlev law.  It said that US officials are now checking on Russian children living in the US.  Really?  It's been three years since we submitted our final Post Placement report so maybe this doesn't apply to us.  I don't know.  Just seemed like a very strange statement.  We're all very sorry and very horribly sad about what happened to Chase Harrison.  But, the Russian response is to leave hundreds of thousands of perfectly innocent children in orphanages instead of allowing them to have a home.  Well I'm just not sure how to explain that one to Aidan.

Anyway.  On a brighter note!  It's supposed to be 58 degrees on Saturday!!!!!

PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?PleaseGod,makeitbeSpring?

Spring?  Are you out there???

Have a great rest of the week!