The Many Faces of Bella Bogdana....

Bella is quite a little actress! The Orphanage Director warned us and said they would be so sad to not have her in their little productions.

For your viewing entertainment, here are the many faces of Bella Bogdana Burckhard! Enjoy....

The Many Faces of Bella Bogdana....

Bella is quite a little actress! The Orphanage Director warned us and said they would be so sad to not have her in their little productions.

For your viewing entertainment, here are the many faces of Bella Bogdana Burckhard! Enjoy....

Pulling the Adoption Card...

Elizabeth and her Dad headed out bright and early at 4:00 a.m. to partake in the Black Friday festivities. It's become sort of a tradition with them...time for the two of them just to be together to scout out good deals and enjoy a Starbucks.

This year, they went to WalMart first. Elizabeth said it was beyond crazy. Elizabeth really wanted to get a pink guitar for Bella ($15) for Christmas. They didn't know that the specials they wanted didn't begin until 5:00 a.m. So, she resorted to hovering over the shrink-wrapped pod of guitars with the other frenzied moms until they were given the "OK". Elizabeth reported that all the moms were conferring amongst themselves saying "So, how many and what color do you want?" Finally, Elizabeth said she spoke up and said, "Well, I only want ONE pink guitar...and it's for my new little sister we just adopted from an Eastern European orphanage." She said it was suddenly silent as all the out-of-control moms just looked at her, puzzled, and then smiled.

We laughed so hard when she came home and told her story. Way to "pull the adoption card", Elizabeth! Oh, and she got the guitar---just don't tell Bella! :)

Pulling the Adoption Card...

Elizabeth and her Dad headed out bright and early at 4:00 a.m. to partake in the Black Friday festivities. It's become sort of a tradition with them...time for the two of them just to be together to scout out good deals and enjoy a Starbucks.

This year, they went to WalMart first. Elizabeth said it was beyond crazy. Elizabeth really wanted to get a pink guitar for Bella ($15) for Christmas. They didn't know that the specials they wanted didn't begin until 5:00 a.m. So, she resorted to hovering over the shrink-wrapped pod of guitars with the other frenzied moms until they were given the "OK". Elizabeth reported that all the moms were conferring amongst themselves saying "So, how many and what color do you want?" Finally, Elizabeth said she spoke up and said, "Well, I only want ONE pink guitar...and it's for my new little sister we just adopted from an Eastern European orphanage." She said it was suddenly silent as all the out-of-control moms just looked at her, puzzled, and then smiled.

We laughed so hard when she came home and told her story. Way to "pull the adoption card", Elizabeth! Oh, and she got the guitar---just don't tell Bella! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We counted our blessings and thanked God for His abundant grace and mercy on our lives. I think everyone was most grateful for our little Miss Bella joining our family this year. To think that last year we didn't even know about Reece's Rainbow, let alone Bella Bogdana! What a difference a year can make!

Bella seemed to enjoy her first Thanksgiving and "mmmmm, mmmmm'd" her way through two plates of mashed potatoes and a piece of pumpkin pie. She also loves having people over and clapping for her as she dances her "Ukrainian" jig! LOL

She really took to her Aunt Brenda and sat on her lap while we were playing a card game after dinner. Here she is snuggled into Brenda:



And, here I am with my two oldest kids...and then some "Turkey" jumped into the shot at the last minute!!!



Hope that you all had a wonderful day too! Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

Love, Paula

Happy Thanksgiving!

We counted our blessings and thanked God for His abundant grace and mercy on our lives. I think everyone was most grateful for our little Miss Bella joining our family this year. To think that last year we didn't even know about Reece's Rainbow, let alone Bella Bogdana! What a difference a year can make!

Bella seemed to enjoy her first Thanksgiving and "mmmmm, mmmmm'd" her way through two plates of mashed potatoes and a piece of pumpkin pie. She also loves having people over and clapping for her as she dances her "Ukrainian" jig! LOL

She really took to her Aunt Brenda and sat on her lap while we were playing a card game after dinner. Here she is snuggled into Brenda:



And, here I am with my two oldest kids...and then some "Turkey" jumped into the shot at the last minute!!!



Hope that you all had a wonderful day too! Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

Love, Paula

"You So Goofy..."

I think I may have mentioned in another post that when Grace sees Bella after school, she bends down to Bella face-to-face and tickles her under the chin saying "Bella, you so goofy!" Not sure where Grace came up with that, but here is proof that it is so:



Ok, well maybe she gets it from this goofball:



Suffice it to say that I love all four of my goofballs--all with their own unique levels of goofiness!

Love, Paula

"You So Goofy..."

I think I may have mentioned in another post that when Grace sees Bella after school, she bends down to Bella face-to-face and tickles her under the chin saying "Bella, you so goofy!" Not sure where Grace came up with that, but here is proof that it is so:



Ok, well maybe she gets it from this goofball:



Suffice it to say that I love all four of my goofballs--all with their own unique levels of goofiness!

Love, Paula

Our Christmas Photo....

Here's a preview of our Christmas Card for this year:



Whew....we are exhausted! It took a lot of shots and gnashing of teeth to finally get one that is acceptable all SIX of us...I mean, SEVEN with Jake the cat!

Our Christmas Photo....

Here's a preview of our Christmas Card for this year:



Whew....we are exhausted! It took a lot of shots and gnashing of teeth to finally get one that is acceptable all SIX of us...I mean, SEVEN with Jake the cat!

Home Three Months Today!

I can't believe Miss Bella has been home three months today! It is like she has been with us forever.

She is quite the little character who knows what she LOVES:

chocolate milk
cream of wheat
bath time with Grace
swings & slides

clothes
backpacks
dolls
riding in a car
looking at photos & books
dancing

She is doing amazingly well! She had her preschool evaluation yesterday and will start in January a few hours each morning. But, I think she is mostly excited to ride the bus with her big sister Grace. They won't be at the same school, but they will get to ride the "bum" (bus) together.

We are thankful that God placed her in our family. We are also so thankful to our friends and family for giving us the support needed, both financially and emotionally, to make this happen. We are blessed beyond measure!!!

Home Three Months Today!

I can't believe Miss Bella has been home three months today! It is like she has been with us forever.

She is quite the little character who knows what she LOVES:

chocolate milk
cream of wheat
bath time with Grace
swings & slides

clothes
backpacks
dolls
riding in a car
looking at photos & books
dancing

She is doing amazingly well! She had her preschool evaluation yesterday and will start in January a few hours each morning. But, I think she is mostly excited to ride the bus with her big sister Grace. They won't be at the same school, but they will get to ride the "bum" (bus) together.

We are thankful that God placed her in our family. We are also so thankful to our friends and family for giving us the support needed, both financially and emotionally, to make this happen. We are blessed beyond measure!!!

What Kind of Mother.....

Lets her 15 year-old daughter go to the midnight showing of the movie New Moon on a school night?

This kind........

What Kind of Mother.....

Lets her 15 year-old daughter go to the midnight showing of the movie New Moon on a school night?

This kind........

Texas Visit....Part II

Bella had so much fun with her Texas cousins. We are home now, but have many fond memories...We had lunch at school with the cousins, went to Padre Island (it was in the 80's!), and ate at some fun restaurants. Oh, by the way, Bella LOVED the ocean. We literally had to hold on to her or she would just run on out into the waves--She has no fear!

Here's a glimpse into our Texas visit:

Texas Visit....Part II

Bella had so much fun with her Texas cousins. We are home now, but have many fond memories...We had lunch at school with the cousins, went to Padre Island (it was in the 80's!), and ate at some fun restaurants. Oh, by the way, Bella LOVED the ocean. We literally had to hold on to her or she would just run on out into the waves--She has no fear!

Here's a glimpse into our Texas visit: