Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks is important. Every Sunday night, we have a family meeting. Last night, we each shared what we liked best about the past week, and what we didn't like about the past week, and then we reviewed our family expectations list and talked about which item was not working. That is, of all the expectations, which one was being met the least. It was the bedtime item. So, we talked about it, decided if we should change it or not, and Karina decided not to change it, and we learned why it wasn't working and now we can change what we do to make it easier to be met. Terrrrrific!!! We give thanks for having the time to sit as a family and communicate about being a family. Each person gets a vote on things and each gets to share their rationale and ideas for what our family is and isn't. The model of democracy is something we are thankful for, as is respect for each other.

We are thankful that today is Karina's first day of ESL at the Easterly Parkway public school. We chose this school because of Dr. Esber, her ESL teacher. Karina loves Dr. Esber and is motivated to please Dr. Esber. We visited her classroom last week as a family and the kids liked Karina and she liked them. When given the option to help in the garden or work on school, she chose to work on school, and spent about 3 hours with Papa doing her lesson for Dr. Esber! That is something we are all thankful for: Dr. Esber!!

Last night, Karina was so hyper because today is her first day of school. We have it posted on the family bulletin board and she reviewed the week and made sure she knew which days and which times she was to be at school this week (tomorrow there is no school, because the morning will be spent at the dentist). I remember the night before the first day of school, and how I spent a long time picking out my clothes and getting organized and feeling jittery! Karina the same! She chose her favorite Hannah Montana outfit that Aunt Brenda gave her, packed her school work in her Hannah backpack from Aunt Brenda, and looked just like Hannah this morning as she and Papa said Paka and jumped in the car to leave! Aunt Brenda knows kids!! She chose her favorite pens and pencils out of her desk in the office and packed those as well as her orange crush drink left over in the fridge. She even asked if Mama would put make-up on her and of course, remembering how I wanted the same as a kid, decided why not. So I made her eyes and cheeks and lips up lightly and she was thrilled! She wanted Papa to notice (and he needed a few code-winks to get it), then he said "Wow - you look gorgeous!" We are thankful for a daughter who is excited about school, who likes to look nice and cares about her appearance. Her values on which is more important - school or looks - will develop as we set a good example. One thing about Karina is that she is very in tuned to our behaviors and mimics them.

We are thankful for bubble baths, dogs & cats & rabbits (domestic and wild in our yard), the birds, good friends, local kids who speak Russian and English, Dema's birthday party (which got big thanks at the family meeting and was a real hit!), making cookies (but not Papa eating the last of the cookies - that got a thumbs down at the family meeting), looking for knee high socks, a good medical report on her heart, nice & caring doctors who have a great bedside manner with Karina, loving friends who are crazy enough to play Wii Dance with our family (that got 3 thumbs up last night, by the way!), and for google translator who helped us cope with and discuss a melt down (which we stayed up to communicate about and share feelings honestly until past 10pm, because many feelings were hurt). We are also thankful for Tsentr Opiky (her home in Mariupol) who helped us to confirm what her real birthday is this morning. She wanted it to be in July, but it is in June. That's OK, we'll let her have 2 birthdays! (On her birthday, she wants to ride crazy mouse at DelGrosso's amusement park 13 times, so now she can ride it a total of 26 times!)

Hopefully, many of her friends will be in America by then. She talks about them many times a day. Much love and giving thanks for a wonderful day ahead. I look forward to hearing her stories about school and watching Papa get his teeth cleaned this afternoon (he is setting an example for her tomorrow).