Happy Happy Happy!

Since we got home last Friday everything has been GREAT! Jackson and Joseph played together SO WELL last weekend. No, I do not expect that to last, but it was nice last weekend. I think they were so excited to be together again that they were unusually nice and accomodating with each other. Arranging for where Joseph was going to be every day this week was a bit complilcated. Monday and Wednesday he stayed home with Keith, Tuesday my mom took off of work and stayed home with him (and being the awesome nana she is, she let him do almost anything he wanted so by the end of the day he had completely worn her out!), Thursday he stayed at my parents' house while my dad worked at home, and today (Friday) I took the day off to stay with him and get him registered for school. We got the rest of the immunizations he needed and the eye and dental forms completed so I could register him for school today. He met the principal, his teacher, his new classmates, and his ESOL teacher. Although his age would have him in 5th grade, we are putting him in 4th grade now. He was in 4th grade in Ukraine and this will give him a whole year in elementary school next year. Not looking to push him into middle school yet, one middle schooler in my household is enough for now! He has a friend from the neighborhood, Carson, in his class and there is a boy in his class who speaks Russian! Apparently the boy's parents speak Russian him and have taught him and speak it at home with him. We have been so blessed and continue to be throughout this whole process. Joseph is VERY excited about his school. He was a little scared at first he told me but after getting the tour and seeing everything and meeting his teachers and classmates he is really excited for Monday. He says his school is AWESOME (he just recently learned this word and everything is awesome today). Poor Jackson has ahd SO MUCH homework this week, he has barely been able to hang out with us. Thankfully last night he finished up homework early enough that he and I could go out for icecream just the two of us. We had so much fun and it made me realize just how much he and I both needed some time just the two of us. We will have to be sure to have mother/son dates every now and then. I think it will be important that Keith and I both have individual time with both boys regularly.
We only had one incident of dishonesty this week with Joseph. He wants to eat so often, and usually wants to eat unhealthy stuff. I hate to tell him no about eating but if we said yes all the times he wanted to eat he would put on so much weight! He is already up to 100 pounds. He has put on at least 10 pounds since we started visiting him in the orphanage in February and at this rate he would be classified as overweight in no time. Usually when he asks for something unhealthy we offer him something healthy instead and he usually will eat the healthy choice (like fruit or yogurt or the like). But, for example, for lunch today he asked for 2 PBJ sandwiches and one bologna/cheese sandwich and fruit snacks. And I am sure he would have eaten all that. But I told him I would make him one sandwich and I cut up an orange and gave him one bag of fruit snacks. That seemed to tide him over for about 30 minutes until he asked for a yogurt and some gummy bears. I tried by telling him a time (an hour later) when he can eat again and that seems to work. And he knows he has to ask for food, he is not allowed to just take food without asking. This is where we had our issue this week. He knows he is only allowed one fruit snack per day so he chooses when he wants to eat it. Well, when we looked in the box one evening there were an extra to bags of fruit snacks missing. We asked him if he had taken them multiple times and he said no multiple times. He was very adamant that he had not taken them. After some discussion he finally told us he had. We told him we were very upset with him lying. And he lost his PSP and video games for a day. He was remorseful and I really think this behavior is going to get better but we have to be vigilant and make sure he knows that part of being in a family is that we are honest with each other. But we ended the discussion and the giving of the punishment by assuring him that we love him. Right now Keith and I feel like there are two really important things we want Joseph to know, that every action (good or bad) has a consequence, and we love him no matter what.
I just got a call from a guy at NASA (rec soccer league) that they are going to let Joseph join a team and he can practice with them tonight. He is so excited. He jumped up and down saying AWESOME (word of the day remember?)!!!! Getting regular exercise will help with the weight concerns I am having for him and it will be great for learning english and making friends. Again, God is working things out so well. True confirmation that Keith and I are on the right path.
LOVE MY BOYS!!!! (all 3 of them!)