OH my goodness its been a long time!

Wow! I cant believe its been that long since updating. It has not been on purpose, I guess motherhood has me a bit busy. This year has been amazing. PJ will be 3 in October. He is alll boy and just such an absolutel joy to our family. He is also very handsome if I might say so myself. Mary just turned 7!!!!! I can not believe she is 7. It feel slike just yesterday she was born. She finsihsed first grade at Saint Joseph Academy and has grown amazingly into such a big girl. Galina is going to be 12 next month and i feel like her and I both deserve a tshirt or trophy for surviving our first year of homeschooling. I am prayerful that it will also be the last year of homeschooling. Homeschooling was HARD! I know many of moms that enjoy it and maybe if my family dynamics were different I would have enjoyed it more, but honestly it was hard. What I did enjoy is the leaps and bounds that Galina has matured and bonded with myself and PJ. She has become much more responsible and compassionate/motherly. I am very proud of both of us for accomplishing our first year. We hope she will be attending St. Joes next school year. She will be in 6th grade. Anya just finished her junior year in high school. I can not believe she will be 18 in less than 6 months. She is such an amazing child of God as a teenager, it truely amazes me. She went to her junior prom and looked absolutley beautiful and had a wonderful time. This summer so far has been investing in new and more meaningful freindships. She has been having an awesome time this summer. It is such a blessing to see her growth and maturity. We have been trying to allow her more responsibilty and more freedom to make decisions (gaaah especially when it comes to boys). It is so difficult to let your beautiful butterfly go in hopes she doesnt hit the windshield in the process. She has scaved the windshield a bit at times but on the most part has flown high above it all. Peter and I are so proud of her.

WOW 6 Months!

Wow! Time has flown and well its been a long time since updating our blog. I guess facebook has kind of taken over my updating people and I didnt even realize it...haha.
OK well I guess I have a lot to update on and will go one person at a time.
Anya just turned 17 years old and is a junior in high school. This past summer she had a few short romances but really seems focused on whats important, such as God, family, friends and school. Over the summer she took her first college course and recieved an A in ASL (American Sign Language). She spent a lot of time at the beach and hanging out with family and friends. We took the last week of summer to drive ehr to a few local universties to keep her interest peaked with school. She is still verbalizing a desire to stay close to home. IN sept she started school as a junior. She decided not do sports this year because of the drive time to/from school (45 minutes each way) and her more difficult school schedule. She also took another college class (speech). She got her liscence last June and is enjoying her bit of new found freedom on the occassion the car is available to fit her social calander. SHe also went to steubinville west through our church. This is a youth gathering that she went to in AZ for a weekend of Catholic worship, break out sessions, concerts and overall fellowship with other Catholic youth.
Galina is now 11 years old and in 5th grade. This year we are homeschooling her. Our hopes is that can get into St. Jospeh Academy (Anya and Mary's school) next year. She was not able to get into St. Joseph this year as it is somewhat difficult for kids to test in at this school at this level (so i learned from other families experiences). She has deveolped a love for theater, dance and singing and we hope to nuture this while be homeschooled. During summer break she did participate in a VBS play at a Lutheran Church in Temecula.
Mary is now 6 years old and in 1st grade at the same school Anya goes to. Anya drives them to school every day dropping off their daddy on the way there and picking him up on the way home. Mary is thriving at St. Joseph Academy. She is learning all about her faith, the love of God, all the saints and much much more. Two months into school she had to do a speech for all saints day. She had to choose a saint, research the saint and write a 10 sentance speech on that saint. She chose St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungry who lived the same time frame as St. Francis. Writing this speech taught her so much, I was impressed at her abilities. She did a wonderful speech that Grandma Mary was able to come to school to see. At her school they say prayers before each class and before meals, they go to mass once a week. Once a month mass is in Latin. Mary learning latin during school as well. She has made many friends at school and love her teacher.
Peter Joseph is an adorable 2 year old. Oh my goodness what joy he brings to our family. He is definatley king of the household being spoiled and loved on by his 3 older sisters. He has gotten especially close to Galina in the last 4 months now that Galina is being homeschooled. He has a huge vocabulary and is all boy. He loves trucks, cars, rocks and dirt. He loves to jump from high places and grunt.
Peter and I are doing well. We just passed our 20 year wedding anniversary. TWENTY YEARS!!!!!! hard to believe! WE are blessed beyond measure with our children and eachother.
Work both inside and outside the home keep us VERY BUSY.
Hope to post pictures later tonight!

Broken Hearts and Prom

Gosh life is busy busy busy! BUT this is what Peter and I prayed for and we are enjoying it every minute.

Begininng of May our dear sweet oldest daughter had her first broken heart. Her boyfriend broke up with her the week of Prom. Then a friend she had planned on going with backed out 4 days before prom. Not a good week for Anya. My heart hurt so deeply for her. But in true Anya style she bounced back and found another friend to take her. Jake is my childhood best friend's son. I have known this boy since he was born and needless to say I am very good friends with his parents.

Jake is a Junior in Highschool at another high school. Anya had a very good time at prom after all. excuse the non centered pictures. It was very hard to photograph Jake as he is 6'4" tall. He is such a sweet boy. I hope they become lifetime friends!

Spring

Spring is Here OK, lets try this again. I had finished over half my post when PJ walked up and played with the mouse and erased everything. So let me try to remember what I was posting about. First off is Anya. Anya is finally settling into her school, especially with academics. This school was much more difficult academically but she managed to make honors even with the change. She takes her driving test next week and is going to the prom next saturday. She is taking college courses this summer. It is so hard to believe only 1 and 1/2 years she will be 18 years old.......makes me proud, but sad. She is a joy. Galina is finishing up her 4th grade year. Next month she will be a cardsmsn and fish in the school play "alice and wonderland." We are having her tested to get her into Anya's school. The goal is to have all the girls go there next year. We really love the school. Mary is finishing up her kindergarten year and wow has she learned so much. She only goes a half day and is not looking foward to going a full day next year. PJ is now 18 and half months and a kick in the pants. His vocabulary is exploding every day saying new words. He is 100 percent boy, digging in the dirt, playing with bugs, and climbing EVERYTHING. He loves to call his sister "ANYA". He is looking more like a big boy and less like a baby. . . . sigh. PEter is relieved as can be to have survived another tax season. He is such a trooper coming home after a long day at work and always willing to help out around the house and with the kids homework. I am blessed! I am also soooooooo ready for summer. It can not come soon enough. I will have to post pictures next time as I have to run!

1:54:00 PM
by suzanne murray

Easter Break is almost over :(

Sad times, the kids go back to school Monday. I have so enjoyed spending time with the kids this past week. It went way to fast and I didn't feel we got to do as much as I would have liked to.

We did make it to the beach twice and movie once. Anya is having a sleep over tonight and going to the movies tonight as well.

It is so nice not to have to get up early and work on homework late. I am giggling right now as I babysit my sister four kids and they are in the backyard and Mary is screaming "I found an orange one I found an orange one." Refering to a ladybug they have been hunting for over the last half hour. I am tired from a long day, but fun times! I am feeling so blessed to be surrounded by the joys of kids.

Prayerfully Considering Making Blog Private

Peter and I are prayerfully considering making our blog private. Originally our website that then morphed into a blog was set up as a means to keeping our friends and family informed of our ever changing interesting way God was growing our family. . . . . with updates on where we were in the process. As a bonus some people had stumbled onto our blog who were going through infertility. Some of these readers found some hope and comfort in the fact that we had survived infertility for 13 years surely they could. Some learned a had feared being so open about their infertility or adoption and our story helped them through that. Sigh. . . . . I am so torn. Our family is in a different place now and though I have absolutely no shame in our story, I worry that it can affect my children. It has affected my children (our story not the blog). Kids unfortunately have free access to computers and though google is my friend it can also be used by kids just thinking they are having fun googling their friends names. Mary will be in first grade next year, its time to step back and pray about if we should go private with our blog. If we do I would post a warning for anyone that wanted to email me for the password. Some of you I would email already. If you feel called to do so could you please join me in prayer as we consider?

Happy Easter!!!!!

Feeling so blessed in my life. With the best husband in the world. Peter is the best. He provides for our family and rarely complains. During this tax season he has started work every morning at 6AM, so that he can be off work at 5 PM and help with homework and bedtime duties of the kids. Again never complaining. He helps with the cooking, cleaning, homework and yesterday took his three girls and 4 of his nieces to see Hannah Montana the Movie. Peter is one of a kind I am blessed to call him my husband.

The kids woke up very excited at last it was Easter. Anya was looking foward to sweets because she had given them up all during Lent (peter too). Beautiful children God entrusted Peter and I with. The privledge to be called mommy by all of them. I love my family!