The Murray Clan est 1989: 2005 Family Update

Christmas 2005

Wow 2005 was a busy year!. We started the year awaiting Belarus to reopen and within months of the new year fell in love with our new daughters Anya and Galya. Literally we went from a family of 3 to a family of 5 overnight! We went from having a one child learning how to talk to an additional two children who knew how to talk but not the same language. Peter did very well learning Russian but the girls did even better learning English. The girls started school a little less than a month after coming to America.Anya turned thirteen in December. My sister Annette and I cried as we dropped Anya off at school barely speaking English to try and find 6 different classes at a school she has never been to before. My heart ached for her. By the end of the day she had survived and so did mom. Anya has done very well in school considering all that the public school has offered her in extra help is a Spanish textbook. Her first semester she managed to bring home all A's (OK just one in P.E.), B's and C's. She is speaking 99% English socially but struggles with new words in school. She is very nurturing, athletic and has a witty sense of humor. She is a sweet girl and wonderful big sister. She played her first year of winter league softball. This spring she will play volleyball.Galina is well Galina! She is a hoot! She has a love and zest for life. She turned 7 the first week of school and started first grade. She is speaking about 99% English. She is excelling in Math and doing well for an English as a second language student in her reading. She loves to sing and dance. She has made many friends at school but loves to hang out with her cousins the most. She will be starting Irish dance in the spring.Mary just turned 2 and 1/2. She is a wild monkey that NEVER sits still. She absolutely adores her sisters. She has managed to earn a few miles traveling to Russia twice and one trip to DC. She loves everything princess and everything of her sisters. Her vocabulary has really grown this past year. She loved going to Anya's softball games and her cousin Justin's football games. She is a sweetie!Halloween 2005