A day in the country side

Yesterday we all set our alarms for 5.00 AM. We were intending to get up and make it out of the house by 5.45 in order to catch the 6 AM "bus" ( it was really a van) to the country side, in the village of Berezeni.

The girls were extremely excited to have their first "bus" ride and also to see/meet their 2 great grandmas. Maile had actually met them for the first time when she was 7 months old. At that time Audrey was only in my womb.

We got to the bus station only to discover that the 6 AM bus had been "canceled" only because the driver didn't make it there that morning...and since he is pretty much his own boss, well...there was no one to complain to. I just had to explain to my sweet 3 1/2 year old that the bus she's been waiting for had been "stuck on ice cream mountain" and that the wonder pets were working on rescuing him.

Lucky for us we were able to get on the 7.30 bus, both girls beaming with excitement. The trip over was only about an hour an half. Maile kept reminding me with each stop that she wasn't ready to get off.

We were welcomed right away by my parents who had gone there the night before and by my dad's mom.

Right away, when we entered her courtyard, the girls noticed there were chickens everywhere, and they could touch them and feed them and play with them.

My grandma also had a dog who had recently given birth to these 2 adorable puppied. Needless to say my girls were in heaven. My sister even played with them.

While the girls enjoyed romping around, exploring, their papi started grilling some meat on an improv grill, that looks nothing like a "weber", while my sister Dana and I enjoyed the beautiful weather.=)



We had lunch outdoor, which Maile called a "pic-a-mic" (a picnic) and enjoyed being with each other. Several times during our lunch Maile cared to remind us how much she loves her great grandma despite the fact that she didn't understand a word she was saying. Such a sweet sweet girl. It was great to watch her interact with them and seeing how polite she was, and cuddly. She also said to me during lunch ( while she's looking down at the kitty laying next to her foot): " Mommy, this kitty really loves me and she wants me to be her owner but I can't live here forever"...Hahah!! I was just beside myself. This little girls just makes me laugh so hard. She is such a funny character.
Next up, we headed down to my other grandma's house ( my mom's mom) with Maile holding papi's hand half the time and riding on his neck the rest of the way there. These 2 have become quite inseparable.When he's not around, she always always asks for him...not so much my mom but always him..I often wonder if she's just looking at him as the male figure that she is missing in her life right now.

We got to my other grandma's house, and we were also welcomed by 2 of my aunts, one who lives just down the street from my grandma and another one who had been visiting and keeping my grandma company for the last few months. It was great to see everybody and kind of "show off" my 2 treasures.They had certainly heard a lot about them but seeing them in person was just the icing on the cake.

My mom's mom is the old lady on the left...my dad's mom is the one on the right. I have so much respect for these 2. They have worked so hard their whole lives and you can see it on their faces.

By the time we left, it was almost starting to rain, but all in all we had a fantastic day.

We got back to my parents house and we were joined by daddy on Skype as we read the girls their bedtime story and prayed together.

What a perfect ending to an absolutely beautiful day.

Fun Fun Fun

What a busy but very fun day we had. The girls woke up around 10 AM and by 11 AM today, we got to go to a children's play at the local theater for which my mom works for.

The play was called "The Land of Happiness" and it was obviously in Romanian...a cute little plot featuring lots of animals and songs.

There were a TON of kids there with their teachers and we were lucky enough to have front row seats. I was worried that the girls might not get much out of it but to my surprise, they absolutely understood the story line and engaged in clapping and dancing to the songs.

Also, we got to see a bunch of my mom's friends from work and met some of the actors as well who came to introduce themselves to the girls.

This afternoon after another really long nap, my mom and sister and I took the girls to one of the local parks for some outdoor fun. Audrey had her worst meltdown since we got here. I know she must be feeling pretty weird sometimes having been thrown into a totally different environment. She is going through this phase where she can't have anyone else touch her, hold her hand, help her, even look at her. It all has to come from me. I have to say I hope she gets over it and starts enjoying this time with her "buni".

Other than that, I'd say they had a great time at the park. It never ceases to amaze me the capacity that they have to make friends, even in foreign countries where they obviously can't speak the language.

The moment we got to the park, they were surrounded by so many kids, every one of them more curious than the other to find out a bit about our girls, where they come from, what their name is, how old they are...and since English is a compulsory class here in Romania, most of them will actually storm their brain and you can see them trying to put together a sentence...something that they wanna ask the girls or tell them. It is so cute. I love it.

We made it!!

Well, it only took us about 2 full days to get here, but we made it. I made it!! I traveled across the Atlantic Ocean by myself for the first time...

Ok, so not really by myself because I had my 2 little girls with me...I just meant without Eric guiding me everywhere. I can't tell you what an exhilarating feeling it is. I feel so blessed and so proud of my daughters. I always knew they were good travelers but never in my wildest dreams did I think they were gonna be THAT good.

The plane trip itself was 18 hours. We left Phoenix on Sunday around 1 PM, went through Chicago, barely made the connection since i only had an hour an a half. By this time the girls had gotten no naps, but they kept themselves entertained while watching a movie on their DVD player.

The trip from Chicago to London was a little over 7 hours. Audrey ended up falling asleep in my arms and by this time she was so tired she barely even moved. She slept a little over 3 hours.

Maile took a lot longer to go to sleep, but once she did, she was great. Once we got to London, again we only had 1 hr and 15 minutes to make our connection to Bucharest. I was completely shocked when I got off the plane and realized that my double stroller which I had gate checked, had been sent on the plane to Bucharest because supposedly they were too full to fit it on board of the plane.

Wish they'd told me that before they actually did it. Needless to say, at this point I am starting to worry that I am not gonna make it. The airport in London was just HUGE and even though I didn't have to change terminals, I still had to take a train to get me to my gate, go through security yet again and all that. We literally made it just in the nick of time.

I didn't get a chance to take a whole lotta pictures on the plane, just because I kinda had my hands full, with either one or the other girl sleeping in my arms. Either way, I honestly could not have imagined this trip to be easier in terms of how the girls did. They only slept for a little over 3 hours during the whole trip, and yet they never once had a meltdown, no aching ears upon take off....nothing.

The first night that we made it to Bucharest, we spent the night in a hotel before getting up the next day and getting on another 5 hr train ride to Barlad, the city my parents live in.

I put the girls to bed that night around 8 15 PM and all three of us slept until 11 PM that night and that was it. After that, it was like...hello there!! The girls were up and ready to play...have breakfast...heck for all they knew, it was breakfast time in America.

By the time we were ready to get on the train that next day, I could just tell the girls were both so exhausted. Here are some shots of them on the train to Barlad.

The girls and I decided to grab some McDonalds for lunch before we got on the train.


Did you ever know that if you wanna order "Meal number X" at any fast food place in Romania, you would actually say..."Please, may I have "menu" number X?" I never realized how funny that sounds until I met Eric 8 years ago and we went to one of the fast food places in Bucharest together. Nowadays, that just cracks me up? And did you also know, that while you're sitting in line waiting to sumbit your order like a good "almost American citizen", there's probably at least 3-4 "fellow Romanians" that will try and cut in front of you?

Yeah, I knew I was "home" the minute that happened to me...oh and what about having to pay for your grocery bags at the store?? Yup, I had to do that too today. It's amazing the things that we take for granted in other countries, America included. I know I am often guilty of that.

But anyway, that was totally unrelated,,,I did just have to throw it out there however, because it cracks me up.

Anyway, we made it to Barlad yesterday afternoon, and not even 30 minutes upon arrival, auntie Dana had taken the girls out for a walk.

Next thing I know, Maile is out there making some new friends. It was so great to see her going out there and despite the language barrier and her being BEYOND exhausted at this point, just really trying to reach out and make the best of this vacation.

As of today we are still trying to get over the jet lag but I am happy to say that the girls got about 10 hours of sleep last night and again 4 hour naps this afternoon and so did I. Hopefully we will soon be back to our regular routine and schedule and ready to embark in new adventures.

Last Day of Preschool

Hard to believe a whole 'nother year has gone by. It seems like yesterday that we all had butterflies in our stomachs thinking that Maile was starting preschool. I remember how excited she was about her backpack, the new friends she was gonna make...

Hard to believe today was her last day of preschool. She is growing so fast, and so is her little sister who will be starting preschool herself in just a few months.

To celebrate their last day of school, Miss Rachel decided to do a movie/pajama day, AND...she invited Audrey to come knowing that she had been begging to come to school with Maile for sooo long. I can't tell you how happy she was. They both had talked about it for days and could not wait to get their backpacks ready and their jammies and all....well, sort of...because Maile won't even wear pants at bedtime anymore so both girls got their cute little night gowns ready.

We decided to celebrate the beginning of summer by going to the splash pad with their friends Carlie and Chloe.

Happy Summer everyone!!

Sea World Trip

So, this last week we had to make a trip to LA, to go to the Romanian Embassy, so that I could get a travel document for our Romania trip. My passport had expired years ago and it turned out it was gonna take too long for me to renew it from this side of the ocean, so that's why I decided to just get a travel document.

Knowing that we were gonna be in CA, and considering the fact that daddy is not gonna really get to see his girls for a couple months, we decided to try and squeeze in a little fun - hence the trip to Sea World.

It was the girls first time there, and we are so grateful we had a good time. The weather was unbelievable..sunny, in the 70s, slight breeze. I say that because the rest of the time we were in CA, it was actually rather chilly for us Arizonans, in the low to mid 60s.

Both of the girls had a blast despite the fact that they had missed their naps. They were great troopers. Here are just some of the pictures we took:

New Backpacks

I just recently ordered these cute little backpacks for the girls with the purpose of having them use them for our trip to Romania- which by the way it's coming up REALLY fast- and also knowing that they can use them for preschool as well.

Well, I had bought the one for Audrey first thinking that Maile already had a personalized one that she'd been using...but of course as soon as the girls saw it they both just fell in love with it. So, we pretty much had to buy the other one for Maile. I can't even describe the excitement in her voice when she saw it. She just kept saying.." Mommy, this is the best surprise ever...and it will make me happy all my life"...

Oh, if only small things like that will indeed make her happy her whole life.. Silly girl.

Preschool Graduation

My sweet girl graduated from preschool today. She looked like such a big girl out there, standing besides her friends... There are no words to describe the feeling of pride that both her daddy and I experienced today. Even her little sister, Audrey was so proud, sitting in mommy's lap and cheering for her big sister the whole time during their program.

They sang a bunch of songs and at the end of the program they each stepped out of their classroom as they were handed a graduation diploma. They looked absolutely adorable wearing their little graduate paper hats.=)

Did we just blink and 3 years went by already?? Wasn't this the little girl that we were just holding in our arms the other day, weighing just 8 lbs. 6 oz?? When did the time fly by??

To be perfectly honest, when I enrolled Maile in this preschool program, I honestly did not know how much she was gonna get out of it but, now a year later, I could not be happier.

Certainly, she was pretty smart to begin with, but I am just amazed watching her almost read certain words, seeing how she recognizes every letter of the alphabet, the many songs she has learned....It is so cute to see her come home with a new song she wants to share with her sister or a new project that she has worked on. The smile in her eyes, her excitement says it all.

Maile's little face during the "Slippery Fish" song.

But just like this, her preschool graduation marks the end of a lovely chapter in our daughter's life.

As much as Maile loves Miss Rachel and I am sure she will miss her terribly, it will soon be time for a new chapter in her life. We will be forever grateful for the great start that she was given through her preschool.

A Very Special Mother's Day

As a child, I remember Mother's Day as a pleasant little holiday designed to remind us to appreciate all that our mothers do for us each and every day. We gave gifts, my dad made lunch for my mom, and both my sister and I tried to be especially well behaved for the day.The only difference is Romanians actually celebrate Mother's day on March 8th.

And then I grew up--went off to college, met the love of my life and eventually started a family of my own. Becoming a mother changed my life like no other experience before or after. I experienced an attachment to my baby that was stronger than any I could have imagined. I often think of that bond in terms of what I refer to as the "bus phenomenon."

The moment Maile was born I knew that I would step in front of a bus, without a moment's hesitation, to save her. I also knew that I would willingly, if not always easily, make other sacrifices for her. For the rest of my life I would worry about her happiness and welfare and would be devastated if anything ever happened to her. Not surprisingly, I am equally attached to and as fiercely protective of my second child, my sweet little Audrey. Most mothers I know--regardless of profession, stage of life, marital status, social status, cultural background or age--feel exactly the same way about their kids. We are biologically and psychologically wired to defend and love our children.

Becoming a mother is by far the best thing that's ever happened to me. Hard to believe, I only became a mother less than 4 years ago but I certainly can't remember a life before my lil girls. They are a constant reminder of everything that is good and pure in this world and every day I thank God for giving me this gift.

To say that I have been "spoiled" today is definitely an understatement. The girls came into my bedroom with hugs,kisses, and gifts. Maile had made a cute card at school ( Audrey ended up delivering it) and also a flower pot that she painted herself. They were absolutely adorable. Now the card itself, is a chuckle. If you read the inside of it, those were apparently Maile's answers.

According to her preschool teacher, Maile wants my name to be Amelia, and not Iulia and she thinks I am 34 years old. Well, I have news for you young lady. I reserve the right to still call myself a 20 something...at least for another half a year or so...but you certainly put a smile on my face with that answer.=)
And as I came downstairs this morning, right after Eric had fed the girls their breakfast, I found this...
and I thought..."What in the world??" I remember mentioning to Eric a while ago that I would love to have a red set of luggage,not just because I loved the color but also,because I thought it'd make it easier to spot at the airport and with our trip to Romania getting closer and closer...well....he made my dream come true once again. At first I thought: "Oohh, that's beautiful"...I gave them all huggs and kisses and thought that was it. But oh no......

Besides,whoever said that great things come in small packages?? Well, you were wrong because as it turns out inside this suitcase was another suitcase, and inside that one, there was this:

I know, I know...it probably makes no sense to most of you but these are actually utensils that I had been looking for ever since I had watched Julia Child's cooking show on a dvd that Eric gave me for Christmas last year. I thought they were fun, and colorful and they just reminded me of her, the great Julia Child for whom I have so much respect. I dunno how he does it, but he always manages to pull the biggest surprises on me.

Now, a couple of days ago I had gently "suggested" to Eric that I would like a "Mom" necklace type thing for Mother's Day,something with a heart...again one of those pieces of jewelery that I could wear with anything ( since I am not really one to change jewelery every day), one that would be meaningful to me. Well, of course when I saw the big suitcase, I thought surely that was it...but again, was I wrong??

Inside the smallest suitcase, I found this little box:

And inside this one there was...this:

Yes, this was my "Mom" necklace, that I absolutely did not expect, certainly not after having received all the other gifts...

Yes, to say that I have been "spoiled" today is clearly an understatement. The card that Eric had given me said: "You are the flower in our lives, that makes us happy every time we see you". A beautiful flower indeed, with 3 diamonds on it, 3 petals, one for every single love in my life.

Eric and the girls, then took me out for breakfast, and we had a great time. I feel so blessed, so fortunate to have a husband that I absolutely adore and 2 little girls that brighten my life in so many ways.

This was not just a special Mother's day...it was yet another reminder of how much I have to be grateful for.

Happy Mother's day to all you special mommies out there, who give so much to their children each and every single day.