Fa la la la la........

The fall got away from us and we are now gearing up for winter. The last couple of months have been busy and packed full of fun, craziness, and stress. Zachary and I went with my parents, Kristen, Kara, and my uncle's family to New York City for a day in November to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary (You go Barb and Ken!!!!!!!). We had a ball and everyone loved the Radio City Christmas show. Everyone came home exhausted but happy (especially the kids since we went to Toys-R-Us). Zachary and Alex continue to grow as brothers and their play constantly leaves us in stitches. Zachary loves to play military and he now has Alex doing it as well. Big bro taught little bro how to army crawl and take cover before shooting the enemy. I don't quite know how I feel about that, but they are wonderful to watch together.
Alex is old enough to understand that the holiday season is something "different" and he walks around the house saying,"ho ho ho", and,"la la la la la", which make us all join in. Alex's language continues to grow and change as he strings words together, and you can see how proud he is as he talks and is understood by others.
Zachary had his first report card and did wonderful. His teacher is very pleased with his progress, though he is chatty (just like me unfortunately). He is looking forward to Christmas, making lists, pleading for gifts, and decorating our tree while singing his favorite tunes.
We have determined that Alex is our dare devil. In September he got stitches, and in November he went to the ER after hitting his head on a wooden Thomas house. He definitely keeps us on our toes and we are thankful that Zachary is not quite as adventurous (though he did seem a little put out that Alex got stitches before he did).
As we move through December, we wish all of you a safe and happy holiday.

More Fall Pics

Fall

Fall is in full swing and the Baldwins are a family on the go! Zach has had his first field trip and our annual apple picking was a great success. There is nothing like watching your sons spend time together looking for the holy grail of apples. We had a ball at the apple orchard with the boys shooting apple guns, riding go carts, playing on farm equipment, and picking out the best pumpkin on the vine.

Alex has been up to his old tricks this fall. He fell on a matchbox and we took a quick trip to the hospital so he could get five stitches near his eye. He was such a trooper though we were a little traumatized from the drugging and stitching. I am sure that this is only the beginning so I'm glad that we had an easy first child so we could ease into parenthood. Alex would really have been a shock to our symptoms if he was the oldest:)

Our family enjoyed the Eastern European and Russian Culture Festival that our adoption group holds every year. We all played with friends, heard Russian stories, made cultural crafts (really, doesn't everyone want to make a dombra;) and spent time with family. It was a great day and was so nice to see so many children that share birth countries and common cultures.

Toodles and have a wonderful weekend!

September Days

Here are the pics of Zach's first day of school. We always take a picture under the same tree and so far he has not turned "too cool" to do it:) He was wearing his new Giants jersey which has caused his father much pain and anguish. Alex was too adorable when I took these pics. He and I took a walk around the neighborhood and he was happy as a clam to walk like a big boy. Well the second picture shows how he looked before bedtime because we actually walked a 1/2 mile! It's amazing to see how much he has grown.

Summer Pics

At the big game with Dad

Peek a boo!

Surfin' USA

Giving Alex a ride

The Last Days of Summer

Going for a ride at The Great Escape

In Baltimore. How do we always find a firehouse wherever we go?

Our Boys

The Baldwins at Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Spending time with Mom

Alex enjoyed his first trip to Great Escape. Everyone had a great time, especially since Zach was finally at the right height for all of the roller coasters. He was an awesome brother though, and rode the little kid rides with Alex as well.

We spent our last week of vacation going to Baltimore, Maryland and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately Alex got his first black eye falling on a toy two days before we left so he had a big shiner for the trip. Zachary and Alex had a great time going to the science and children's museum; I think we spent five hours at one museum as it was so much fun. The aquarium was great but they have a no stroller rule so we spent our time running after Alex and were exhausted at the end of the day. Don and Zachary went to their Yankee vs Oriole game and were actually able to see another one the next night as well. It was amazing, after the Yankees left town it was like they took half of the city's population with them. We found a great Russian store and Don was very patient as I bought a bunch of items for the boys. Of course we seem to find fire houses wherever we go and Zach somehow convinced the Baltimore firefighters to let him put their gear on and sit in their truck. My little man:) Alex was in a continual state of excitement due to seeing so many boats. For Zach it was trucks, for Alex, boats all the way.

Soon is was time for Zach and I to get ready for school. He got through the first few days and described it as,"awesome." He seems to like his teacher and has some buddies in his class.

Alex returned to daycare and settled in after having the summer off without missing a beat. He has enjoyed playing with his friends and cousin Emily, and we are getting wonderful reports. Zach's first day of school pics will be posted soon. Toodles!

Mystic (and yes, Don is wearing a corset;)

Mystic Photos Cont.

The Very Best of Brothers

Happy Birthday Alex!

The Very Wet Birthday Boy

The Birthday Boy Sleeps

Vacation and Alex turning 2!

Boy am I behind! We went to Mystic, CT with my parents, Kristen, and her family a couple of weeks ago. The kids had a wonderful time, with the ocean being the highlight. Zach boogie boarded, Alex enjoyed the waves, and girls loved paying in the sand and finding shells. We went to the Seaport and besides looking for jellyfish all day, Zachary was in a play and hammed it for all to see. The aquarium was great; the kids touched sting rays and millipedes, fed birds from their hands, and Alex kept saying,"ish" every time we saw something in water, which was all day. Of course the kids sucked us into all kinds of shopping, which made the all of our pockets a little lighter (Nana and Papa's especially). Alex also found his inner two year old (a week early mind you) and began having tantrums which made for very happy parents;) Overall we had a wonderful time and were very sad to go home.
The day after we got home Alex officially entered the terrible twos. He is such a big boy now, and my baby is not so much a baby anymore. It has been such a joy to see him grow and change over the last year. The bottles are gone, Alex feeds himself (for the most part), and potty training is imminent. Let me tell you, I cling to the bedtime routine with all of our cuddling. I will not let go that easily!
Pics to come!

Making Money and Hiding Out

Zachary has set up shop! If anyone is in our area in August, Zack's Place will be open. He and his father bought candy to sell to neighborhood kids and we had a family meeting to determine price, profit margin, and to decide what will be done with the profits. I am proud to say that Zachary will be donating a portion of these profits to a children's charity or to Malutka Baby Home in Karaganda. He is very excited about the "store" and was so happy when he got his first customer.

Alex and Zach continue to make us laugh every day. You have to love those disguises:) Our days have been fun, tiring, and exhausting all rolled into one. Now we are getting ready to vacation at the ocean and Zachary seems to be bringing everything but the kitchen sink. We all can't wait to play in the ocean and relax around the campfire.

Fourth of July (1 of 2)