Happy New Year my dear friends! New Year’s is the main holiday in our family (we still keep Ukrainian tradition), and we celebrated it in style! We said “Good Bye” to the old year, and gave thanks to all the good things that happened this year. We “met” the New Year (this is a direct translation from Russian) at midnight and danced all night long. We made a wish at exactly 12:00, and it should come true this year! Grandfather Frost came for a visit and left small, but very nice presents for the kids under New Year’s tree. We had a good time celebrating New Year’s, and according to the Russian/Ukrainian superstitions, it means the New Year 2008 – the year of the Golden Mice - will be very good for us!
We also celebrated Victoria’s birthday. I specifically booked her birthday party almost 2 weeks after her actual birthday since we weren’t sure when we are coming home from Ukraine. Even though we came back earlier than expected, I decided not to reschedule and keep the date we had it booked. She had a blast with her friends at the Little Gym:
They jumped up and down:
Played the games:
Had a birthday cake:
and just had a good time:
And finally we asked our friends to take the last picture of us as the family of 4. Very soon we should be able to take a new family picture as a family of 5!
14 comments:
Wow, I hope the Russian/Ukrainian superstition is just that (superstition) or hopefully just applies to Russians/Ukrainians, because if how grandly you meet the new year predicts the success of the year, we are NOT in good shape at our house! (We did stay up to "meet" the New Year, but that's about all I can say -- we were in p.j.s on the couch! And, in honor of Katya's heritage, Father Frost did leave some small trinkets under the pillows.)
С Новым 2008 годом to you!
Happy New Year!!!
We were all in bed by 9:30...does that mean we're in trouble for 2008? UGH...I don't think I can take any more trouble! :)
Hey...I just re-read your post about your travel and realized we'll be in Odessa at the same time! YEA!!!! ;)
What a joyous celebration you had with two parties. Your new year will be wonderful since you'll be heading back soon to Odessa for Raisa and bringing her home to her new life as your daughter.
The family picture - you look like one of the kids!
That is so fantastic that you'll be there at the same time as Tami. How neat that you all will be able to meet each other after all the blogging.
Hope your next week and a half go smoothly before you fly back to Odessa.
I also was on the couch in my p.j.'s with my dog watching TV.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Your family picture is very nice, but it is missing someone. :) Can't wait for the updated family photo.
Happy New Year!
(and another happy birthday to Victoria! It looks like she had a great party).
Just a couple weeks and we'll head out to Ukraine. Hoping we can connect while there if you're still in country.
It has been such a pleasure to learn about your wonderful family in 2007, and we are thrilled about the upcoming completion of your adoption.
You're a great blogger, and I can't wait to follow you back to Ukraine!
I love the family picture--can't wait to see the next one! We didn't do very well on New Year's Eve--all in bed and asleep by 11.
I wish I had known more about the Ukrainian new year celebration before I would have done it right for Matthew. Well, next year hopefully we'll have his brothers home from Odessa and we'll do it right. Keep us posted on other traditions so we can make them part of our lives..... Cara
Happy New Year! We can't wait to follow your journey back to UA to pick up Raisa!!
Nice final picture of the "family of four"! We are setting up beds for our boys today. Rearranging the bedrooms and choosing a few toys at Walmart! Ohhh I LOVE Walmart!!!!
Wow, what a beautiful family! S Novim Godom! Happy New Year, Nataliya! I wish you everything wonderful in 2008. And a speedy second trip to Odessa!!!
Kelly
Your pictures show so much joy on everyone's faces. I can't wait until Raisa is also a part of your family...a family of five! :-) Happy New Year to you all! I think we made it to 11:40 p.m. that night before going to sleep, but we did wake up when the neighborhood firecrackers went off at precisely 12:00 and said "Happy New Year!" (I owe you an e-mail--I am trying to catch up on the backlog!!)
I love the family picture-can't wait to see the next one!
What a grate celebration you had.
Kak govoritsya, "Kak vstretish Novii god, tak i provedesh ego." Goog luck with your trip back to Ukraine.
God bless you all.
Happy New Year - here's to a wonderful 2008 for your family of FIVE!!!
Nataliya,
Do you have any suggestions for online shopping in Ukraine to be delivered in Ukraine? We took a 17 pound box to the post office here in Texas and they wanted $84 to deliver it in several weeks. That is more than I spent on the contents for Alexander's grandmother and two little sisters. I'd much rather buy online and pay a reasonable delivery fee and have that $84 go towards the gifts, not delivering them!
BTW, our Alexander loves fireworks and we had just a few as it is dry here right now and I was afraid of starting a grass fire. Apparently some people in the area didn't have that thought so we woke up to a big grass fire just across the highway at 1:00 am....Happy New Year!
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