A few things...

So, Family...
I am having a hard time deciding where to begin here, since I haven't written anything in a while, but there are a few things I want to write down before I forget! For some reason:) my memory is no longer what it used to be, so I want to record a few things I have jotted down over the past few months, really. A lot of little things I would put in the "Notes" in my iphone, which proved to be a huge mistake, as it met its demise at Woodward Camp this summer :(  So I am going on what I can remember of what I want to remember; makes a lot of sense, right? Anyhow, I just don't want to forget the things that I am grateful for, like...

Raistlin's cute little fat feet...,

 Maya's happy little self,

The back yard that we love,

    

And friends to come play in it!

 How much Belle loves horses right now,

And breakfast in bed on birthdays!

 

How the girls absolutely love the bikes they got this year, and ride them for hours every day,

How exciting it was that Rustam went to the London Olympics with the USA team,

 How the girls are really a big help in preparing meals,

 And how much they love our first pet, Fred Weasley;

 The good friends that the girls have made here,

 And the fact that they are best friends with each other.

 I am so grateful that Rustam will spend his small amount of free time...

 Playing night soccer in the back yard,

                                                   

 And going for bike rides...

I love finding these...

& that Maya loves Addie with all her heart, and Ksenia really likes Denny's:)

 

 I love having a sweet baby in the house (even if he is growing everyday!)

 His love of the outdoors,

and that he already tries to pretend,

How he loves the cubbies at the gym,

 I am grateful that fall is here,

and I want to remember 

how much Maya absolutely loves 

this green bag from Baba.

 I am thankful for family...

and old friends that love our children, too.

 (K and M with Svetlana Boginskaya at gym camp)

For big sisters that love their little brothers so much,

 And little brothers that love them right back...

And even play with their old toys...

For Maya's humor,

 and Belle's willingness to give speeches:)

 That Ksenia loves gymnastics so much she spends hours making up routines.

 These are just some of the things that I don't want to forget.

I am so grateful for these children and what they bring to our family, and that I get to be their mother!

It's about time...

Ok, I’m jumping in and giving this another try! This blog is for our family and a few friends that want to see how our kids are growing (especially Sariah, my most faithful reader:). But most especially it is for us, so that I can record our lives along with pictures, before I forget it all! I want us to be able to go back and look at these posts years from now, kind of like a journal or family history. So I am starting again, and my goodness, a lot has happened since the last post. (Like a new baby who is almost 18 months now?!?!) So I guess I will start with a post about this adorable, sweet, smart little tiny person that joined our family about a year and a half ago!

Raistlin Rustamovich Sharipov

 Isn’t he adorable? Okay, he is even cuter now! Here are a few pictures of him over his first year of life…

A gymnast already?

His favorite sleeping position for the first five months

Just one of the gang

First Vacation!

Disney Cruise! Thank you, Sariah!

Happy Halloween!

First meet!

Happy First Birthday!

 

And a developing pattern of looking out the window...

 

Well if you have made it this far, then you must love Raistlin as much as we do!!!! 

We absolutely love this boy, and are so blessed to have his sweet spirit in our family!