Summer/Fall 2007

We survived the heat of the summer and went full throttle into Fall. Our summer went way too fast but was lots of fun in spite the extreme heat!

Here are a few of our summer highlights:

Tyler spent the fourth of July in the Bahamas at the Atlantis resort with Aunt Tobi and Uncle Tommy. The best part was a celebrity costume competition they entered, dressed up as the American Idol Judges. Not only did they win first place but a return trip to the Atlantis Resort! He came back just in time for football camp. By the end of July he was back on a plane again. This time off to visit family in Illinois!

Elliott continued working part-time at Farm Fresh until mid-August. He attended a 2-week Cross Country running camp and went to Myrtle Beach for a week with the church youth group. He came back on fire for the Lord! It is a beautiful thing for parents to watch their child experience the love of Christ first hand.

Nicky went for a week to a Christian Camp called “Kaleidoscope”. He had a great time. He loved meeting new friends and did a lot of fun activities, including archery & a ropes course. He didn’t quit talking about camp for weeks! He is extremely affectionate, very animated and WIDE OPEN! There isn’t anything he won’t try, curious about EVERYTHING and talks 24/7! Saying all of that he has a difficult time “chillin” and keeping him busy over the summer was a challenge! For that reason, we were both glad when school started!

Our family rented a beach house at the Outer Banks for a week in August. Tobi and Tommy came from Atlanta and Grandma and Diane came from Illinois. The kids had so much fun they want to do it every year! You may view vacation pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/kathie914

This fall has brought new schools and new schedules. Elliott is at Lafayette High School, Nicky at Berkley Middle School and Ty at Rawls Byrd Elementary. I feel like I am on Gilligan’s Island with a “three hour tour”, starting a 6 a.m. and finishing at 9 a.m. The boys leave one hour a part from one another, which is nice because I have individual time with each one. By the time I leave for work at 9 a.m. I feel like it should be time for lunch!

Elliott was apprehensive about going to a large public school but playing football has really helped. He started practice in the summer so he already knew kids when starting school. When he went to his first practice he didn’t know a soul, had never seen a football game and still limited in the language. That took a lot of guts! His biggest challenge is keeping up with his homework with the hours required to play football. Outside of school, Elliott had the opportunity to speak for a few fundraisers for a ministry called “Heart for Orphans”. http://www.heartfororphans.com/ He openly shared his story of being in the orphanage and his adoption experience. He is compassionate about the children left behind and happy to do whatever he can to make others aware of the tremendous need.

Can I just tell you that Nicky LOVES everything about middle school! He is doing well in class and the teachers all love his enthusiasm! He is participating in choir and drama club, which are both a great fit for him. He has attended 2 school dances and came back excited and exhausted! Nicky is also in Adventure Rangers at church and is having way too much fun doing rough boy stuff.

Tyler is officially at the top of his game being a 5th grader at Rawls Byrd. Brennan (his best friend) and Ty worried all summer that they wouldn’t be in the same class this year and were thrilled when they found out they were! Ty is playing the trumpet and running for Vice President of the school. He is also doing Rangers this year, but can’t wait until he is old enough to be an Adventure Ranger because they do cooler stuff than Discovery Rangers!

September 14th was a big day in the Schweickert household. Nicky became a teenager and Kathie became a speed limit and a senior citizen! We started the day with a much anticipated early morning run to Starbucks for a “decat” coffee. After school we both got pedicures and went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. Back to the house for chocolate raspberry cake and homemade ice-cream compliments of Dad. We had a houseful of friends join us to celebrate Nicky’s first birthday in America. Nicky said it was the best birthday he ever had, and the queen decided it's not such a bad thing to share her birthday after all!

Nicky and Dad biked the C&O Canal (http://bikewashington.org/canal/) from September 21st to the 24th. Mom took us to Cumberland, Maryland the morning of the 21st and we rode about 30 miles the first afternoon. Each night we camped at one of the HB (hiker/biker) campgrounds and ate freeze dried food. For breakfast, we had oatmeal. I was worried that Nicky wasn’t going to like the freeze dried food but he actually thought it was fabulous! For lunch each day we stopped in a town along the route; Hancock, Md on Saturday and Harper’s Ferry, WV on Sunday. On the 24th we got to DC about noon and ate lunch at the canal walk mall and then did the quick tour of the sites – Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Capital, and White House. It was great to do on our bikes because you can ride right up to the site! Mom picked us up at Gravel Neck Park, just north of Reagan National Airport – it is right at the end of the runway and you can watch the planes take off and land up close and personal. I decided that this was the ticket and I wanted to bring Elliott up to do a bike tour of DC also.

So… the next Saturday, Elliott and I loaded up the bikes and headed to Gravel Neck Park. It was packed but we found a slot to park and headed up the Mt Vernon Trail to the Arlington Cemetery. Then we took the Memorial Bridge across the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial. We saw all the sites that I took Nicky to in addition to the Vietnam memorial, the WWII memorial, and we spent the afternoon at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. In addition, we discovered that the The Call was going on at the foot of the Washington Monument. So we kept going back there during the day to check it out. We sang praise music and prayed there. We rode up to the Canal Walk Mall to eat lunch and show Elliott the canal. What a great day!

Tyler turned “11” on October 30th. His request was to eat at the “Golden Corral” and to have a sleepover with Brennan along with a campfire in the back yard. Request granted, he was a happy boy!

The boys both dressed up for Halloween and went trick or treating. Their different outfits reflect their different personalities. Another first for Nicky. I've never seen a child get as excited about dressing up as Nicky did!

Elliott turned “17” on November 6. His request was to go to North Carolina to see his friends from the orphanage that had also been adopted. So, Mom and son took a rode trip to NC for two days and had a great trip! We came back and opened the garage door and a red punching bag was hanging in the garage. The boy was excited! He loved his first birthday in America, but is already worried about time going too fast and getting too old!

Spring/Summer 2007

We took the boys to Illinois for my niece Jodi’s wedding. We drove 9 hours the first day and stopped in Lexington, KY to spend the night. After checking into a hotel with an indoor pool, the boys couldn’t get their swim suits on fast enough! They swam until the pool closed. All three were a big hit at the wedding reception with all their “John Travolta” moves” until Nicky broke his thumb break-dancing and Ty threw his neck out with some wild moves! It was Nicky & Elliott’s first time meeting sister Leslie and brother-in-law Kraig (Elliott’s first time meeting the rest of the Illinois family). Leslie commented they fit in the family so perfectly it was like the boys were interviewed before we adopted them! Picture, left to right: Elliott, Tom Veri, Tobi Veri, Kathie, Nicky, Myself, Tyler, Leslie Hunnemuller and Kraig Hunnemuller.

The school year ended in June and all 3 boys did very well. Tyler made the honor roll and found a new best friend this year. Nicky had an awesome group of teachers who were very patient and attentive with him. He had a “stepping up” ceremony (for 5th graders going to Middle School next year) the last day of school. He was so excited about it and after much bantering back and forth I let him wear Tyler’s tuxedo to this NOT so formal event! (He even tried to get me to wear a formal). He was the only one wearing a tux but it didn’t bother him at all. He was so proud of his accomplishment and so was I! Elliott ended his year at WCA with the “Presidential Award for Physical Fitness”. The unfortunate part was we were not notified ahead of time so we could have attended, but he did not understand the significance of it either.

Dave and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on May 30th! We had a great meal (alone) at a fabulous new restaurant and reminisced about our 20 year journey. We both feel very blessed and can’t believe we are new parents together at this time in our marriage. I never dreamed that we would have children together, which always saddened me. God still amazes me in His goodness towards us!

This summer we purchased Busch Garden/Water Country Passes for the family and can I just say the boys cannot stop talking about “The Griffon”, the biggest baddest Roller Coaster ever! Just ask Nicky, he will give you ALL the stats you ever wanted to know! This was DEFINETELY a new experience for them! We have all had a ton of fun at Water Country too. So it shouldn’t take much imagination to figure out where and how we are spending a lot of our free time this summer!

June started off with the annual Royal Rangers “Pow Wow” weekend camping outing. After several weeks of Nicky and Ty constructing a cardboard boat with their team, Nicky and Ty were the two chosen to row the boat together. To lead their team into victory...Uhmmm. We were both somewhat apprehensive as this event had capability of great bonding or great division. Thankfully, there were no injuries, they were still speaking to each other by at the end AND they came in 3rd place with a trophy! Way to go guys!

The most exciting thing that happened in June was the boys getting baptized in the James River! It was a decision both of them made by themselves and understood the significance of what they were doing. Family & friends rejoiced as they came out of the water and at their desire to identify with Christ in this way!

Elliott went to his first high school retreat at church in May. Can I just say that communicating clearly is still a bit of a problem! I thought he understood when I told him (in detail) about the upcoming high school retreat and ask him if he was interested in going. He said “YES”! However, when it came time to go, I found out that he thought it was just a night out (like when he went with the group one night to play Laser Tag)…not a 3 day event! He was apprehensive (and wanted me to get my money back) but agreed to go. He was on my heart all weekend, and I was praying that God would break down the language barriers and Elliott would get to know HIM better, and have a great overall experience. The last day he called me to say “Thanks Mom”. He told me it was “very very very good”, God spoke to his heart, great praise and worship, lots of new friends and a ton of fun. Thank you Jesus!

Right after school was out in June, we headed to Baldwinsville, NY (10 hour drive) to see our good friends Bill & Nancy Stalter. They adopted two girls (now 14 & 15) from the Ukraine in 2003 and we were anxious to get our families together. We had a great trip with LOTS of Russian speaking. We adults held our ground though, refusing to speak anything but English! About the Russian…it has now been 6 months for both children in the country and their language is really coming along good. We have asked them not to speak Russian if there are people around who do not understand them. It is working well unless they get in a fight and then the Russian starts flying. On the flip side, it helps them remember their native language! Nicky says he no longer thinks in Russian but Elliott still does.

Elliott and Nicky are attending summer school and both are excited about what they are learning! Mr. Elliott Schweickert is now gainfully employed! He is working part-time at one of the local markets in town called “Farm Fresh”. He really likes it and is a very hard worker. Nicky is officially on the pre-teen gymnastics team at William & Mary and practices every Monday night for 3 hours. He LOVES it and can’t get enough! He is pretty good and has already advanced to Level 4 in a short amount of time.

Meanwhile, Ty is in high demand this summer. He is off again flying by himself around the country! It doesn’t even faze him as he’s been doing it since he was 6 years old. He left last week for a visit to Florida with my sister, Andie and her husband, Rosario. Tomorrow he leaves for a surprise trip to the Bahamas with Aunt Tobi & Uncle Tommy. Ty visits them every summer in Atlanta and they take him on what they call “a trip within a trip” (camping, white water rafting, Disney World). Ty is going to be so excited about the surprise! (He is anticipating another camping trip). Later in the summer he will go visit his Illinois family for two weeks and return in time to go to the Outer Banks for a week with us! Now this is what I call living!

Lotsa Yard Work and Hiking

I have taught Elliott and Nicky how to mow the lawn! It is so good to have someone help with the yard work! They are at the 85% level now – apparently, in the Ukraine they don’t have much grass and they just find it and mow it. Maybe as the grass gets thicker they will be able to tell where they need to concentrate their efforts. I showed Elliott how the gas trimmer works but I can tell it will take some experience with that before the edge looks right.

We took a tree down in the front yard and had fun with that. I climbed the extension ladder and cut the limbs and they trimmed them on the ground while I supervised. I borrowed a chain saw to do the main trunk and Nicky wanted to try his hand at that – I don’t think so! Elliott wanted to do one of the main limbs so I let him and he realized that it was a lot of work (see picture). He has more respect for me now!!

One Saturday, we got six yards of mulch and spread it around. Nicky and Elliott made a competition out of it. Although I don’t quite think they understand why Americans put mulch down and where it comes from! I get it from across the street where there is a tree recycling business. They dump two yards in the truck at a pop and then we go spread it. I’m nice…I bought each one of the boys their very own pitch fork. I’m gonna get ‘em each a rake this fall too!!

Easter week was very special for our family. We attended several Easter services throughout the week at various churches and watched "The Passion" together. We are so thankful for the understanding that the boys have about the cross and their salvation. Thank you Jesus! We shared Easter dinner with our good friends, The Hathaways. It was a true blessing as they were so instrumental in our adoption (they were the first family to to adopt from Williamsburg 5 years ago). For Easter we have a tradition where we hide a bunch of Hershey’s kisses all over the house and then have the kids find them. Since Ty wasn't here we had to explain to Elliott and Nicky what the object was. In the past, our kids don’t find all the kisses and we can’t remember where we put them all so we end up finding them all year long (some are in not too good of condition when they are found!). Nicky and Elliott are dedicated kiss hunters. We hid 85 and after much determination & diligence they found 82 of them. (I may have eaten one or two myself while hiding them or maybe we miscounted!). I got all the boys a disciples crosses (made from carpenters nails and red, white, and blue wire) with a black leather string. They loved them..along with the supersoaker squirt guns and frisbees!

Nicky and Ty have become good friends and when at home, are together 24/7. They are more like brothers than uncle and nephew! They are over riding the school bus and for the past month they either ride their bikes to school or walk together. We are cherishing those times knowing that next year Nicky will go to middle school and it will be over. Nicky & Ty have both started gymnastics and all three boys love to play football and baseball on our side yard. The neighbors have graciously allowed them to use the basketball hoop and only one window has been broken...so far! (I won't say which boy broke the window!)

School is going good for Nicky – he had to do a science report and put the report on a backboard. I got approval from the teacher to have Nicky pick the topic and then I would help him find reference material on the topic. I was going to have him write it in Russian and then he would explain it to me and I would write it in English. As we covered the reference material, I had him take notes. After we were done I told him to write it up. The next day he showed it to me and all he did was rewrite the notes. I realized pretty quick that he couldn’t write it in Russian as the terms were all new to him and he only knew the English for them but he didn’t know enough English to write the report. I explained the format for a report and coached him through it. He gave me the information he wanted and I wrote the report as we discussed it. He then at down and meticulously copied it word for word (he caught a lot of mistakes that I had made!!). He decided what pictures to print from the internet. He couldn't wait to tell me to tell us that he got an "A". Way to go, Nicky!

Last weekend, we took the Nicky and Elliott hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains on Friday. Elliott was on spring break and we took Nicky out of school for the day. The weather was great Friday and there was supposed to be a nor’easter on Saturday. We were concerned that that the hike may be too difficult for Ty so he so he spent the weekend with his other grandparents. We chose a circuit hike in the Shenandoah National Forest known as Old Rag (for Old Raggedy Mountain). The entire circuit is about is about eight miles with a total rise in elevation of about 2500 ft. What is really neat about this hike is there is a rock scramble for the last mile and a half. The only problem we encountered was keeping them from running the entire hike. After we got to the summit and ate we gave in and let them run all the way back. As we were WALKING back down the mountain we would ask folks we passed "Have you seen two boys run by?" Many people laughed and said "Yeah, they were flying". We spent the night in Luray, had a great meal and went to Luray Caverns the next day. A great time was had by all!

Who are all these children now living in our home?

It has been a blur since our last post. Elliott was in town all of 12 hours when he had a root canal! Welcome to America! One week into the country he went to a school dance with two other girls that came from the same orphanage (picture attached). When the girls came to the house to pick him up he just stood at the door with his mouth opened looking at them! Finally, I said..."Let them in!" (It will be interesting when he can really communicate to hear his take on his first week in the country) He is in school at Williamsburg Christian Academy and loves it. When ask what he loves the most he says "Girls and Basketball"! The basketball coach has let him practice with the team since the first week and he is dedicated (even though he cannot play) which means 6 am practices and late night practices. The school is 20 minutes from our house so we have done a lot of driving back and forth the past 6 weeks! Nicky has been translating for Elliott up until the past week when he finally broke loose and started to talk to us! Just a few words and short sentences but it was so exciting! Speaking of Nicky...the boy is a force to be reckoned with. He is a TON of fun and a TON of work! There is nothing he won't try. A few weeks ago he bet a boy in his class that he could run the mile track in 4 minutes. He had one practice run (that night) and the next day everyone gathered around the track. The teacher timed him and needless to say, he didn't win the bet. BUT, he did run it in 5.01 and beat the school record of 6 minutes! His teachers are happy with his progress in class so far and so are we. He is very excited and NOT waiting so patiently to start gymnastics in April! Tyler is doing well in school, playing basketball (picture attached) and letting his hair grow, which he is his latest obsession. He is 10 years old and just spent the last of his Christmas money on a pink stuffed dog for a Valentines Day gift for a girl at school. Uhmmmm. All the boys seem interested in girls, food, basketball and their MP3 players. As for me, my identity seems to be wrapped up in 3 boys repeating the same thing over and over again "Mom or Nan Nan, I'm hungry"! As most of you know that isn't music to my ears (And I so wanted to be the queen of the castle and not the slave)!

All three of the boys have bikes now and Papa had a great time helping them get all the biking paraphenalia! The first day Nicky got his new bike, he and Papa took a 15 mile ride and he was ready for more! Nicky has been attending Royal Rangers (a christian version of the boy scouts) at our church with Tyler on a weekly basis and loves it! Last week I attended a meeting and Nicky volunteered to lead prayer. He did great - I was very proud of him. Both Nicky and Elliott love to sing have enjoyed praise music at our church. The words are projected on a screen in the front which is helpful. We also belong to a church that lingers in worship which gives them an opportunity to master the words! Elliott has not got involved with the youth group yet because of the language barrier, but we see that changing soon. As we expected, Nicky is acquainted with half the church on a first name basis and we expect by the next post he will be introducing us to the other half!

We are taking our first "road trip" as a family of five this weekend. We are going down to Atlanta, GA to see our daughter and new son-in-law, Tobi and Tom Veri! Tobi has yet to meet Elliott and we are all excited to get the family together. She even has a co-worker who is Russian helping make Borsch for dinner as a surprise for the boys. We traded our PT Cruiser in for a Ford Explorer and it conventiently has a DVD player which we are banking on helping us survive the 10 hour trip!

Until next time...