Giving Thanks

I promised a Thanksgiving picture of the kids. The more you have, the harder it is to get a good one. So this is the best we got this year.

Am promis sa pun o poza cu copiii de Ziua Recunostintei. Cu cat mai multi copii ai, cu atat mai greu este sa faci o poza buna cu ei. Deci doar atat de bine am putut sa fac in anult asta cu trei...

Disclaimer: I said before that I wasn't going to share so much my thoughts on things, but I just have to today.

I must say that this year I am very thankful. I kept hearing a commercial on the radio on my way to work of some businessman wishing everyone the best Thanksgiving celebration ever. And in my mind I kept saying, "There is just no way! Not this year." I knew already that I have so many things for which to be thankful. But at the same time I've been dealing with a very difficult work situation that has left me pretty discouraged. However, it struck me yesterday as I was driving home from work that in these difficult circumstances that my family and I have experienced lately, I have felt more than ever the comforting of the Father. In the very difficult work situation that I just can't run away from, I have felt Jesus' warm embrace. Not that I want hard stuff in my life...but after these past couple months of feeling hopeless to change how things are going (despite all our attempts), I am so grateful to have felt God's hand upon us. And I do now have hope. I know for sure that God is with us. And what better time to come to this realization than now, with the season of Advent upon us. And now I see that this has truly been one of the best and most meaningful Thanksgiving celebrations I've ever had.

Am spus inainte ca nu o sa scriu asa de mult despre gandurile mele, dar ma simt ca trebuie azi.

Trebuie sa spun ca in acest timp vreau sa-I multumesc lui Dumnezeu. Am auzit de multe ori la radio pe drum la munca o reclama cu un om de afacere spunand ca spera ca toti sa aiba cea mai frumoasa sarbatoare de Ziua Recunostintei. Si eu, de cate ori am auzit acest mesaj, m-am gandit, "Nu se poate! Cel putin nu in anul-asta." Stiu ca am multe lucruri pentru care sa-I multumesc lui Dumnezeu. Dar in acelasi timp, am experimentat o situatie foarte grea la munca in ultima vreme si am ramas foarte dezcurajata. Dar ieri cand veneam de la munca, mi-am dat seama ca in toate problemele pe care le-am avut eu si familia mea in ultima vreme, am simtit cel mai mult mana lui Dumnezeu peste noi. Mai ales in problemele mele la munca (de care nu pot sa fug) am simtit imbratisarea calda a lui Isus. Nu este ca vreau sa am numai probleme in viata...dar dupa ultimile trei luni in care ne-am simtit fara speranta si fara putere sa schimbam situatia noastra (chiar daca am incercat de multe ori), ma bucur foarte mult ca am vazut cum lucreaza Dumnezeu. Si acum pot sa spun ca am speranta. Stiu ca Dumnezeu este cu noi. Si nu este un timp mai potrivit decat acum sa-mi dau seama de asta, cand incepe sarbatoarea de Craciun (Advent). Si acum vad ca asta a fost chiar dintre cele mai bune sarbatori de Ziua Recunostintei pe care am avut-o vreo data.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker

Daniel got his first bath in the big tub last night. It got a little crowded, though. We're going to have to rework the bathing arrangements, I think.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Maybe I'll take some pictures of the kids today. I've been busy cooking, so I hope I can remember...

Daniel a facut prima lui baie in cada mare aseara. Pana acum am folosit un fel de lighian mic care se pune in chiuveta. Dar cada a ramas putin aglomerata aseara. Trebuie sa ne gandim cum sa facem baie mai bine la toti.

Este Ziua Multumirii/Recunostintei la noi. O sa incerc sa fac poze cu copiii. Am gatit toata ziua pana acum--curcan, doua feluri de cartofi, paine speciala, salata de legume, si placinta de bostani. Deci, o sa incerc sa mi-aduc aminte....Ati avut si voi o petrecere azi?

First big-tub bath!
Prima baie in cada mare!

Daniel is gonna be one tough little guy! (after all that his big brother does to him...)
Daniel o sa fie tare cand creste mai mare! (cu tot ce-i face fratele lui mare...)

Three kids in a tub
Copiii in cada

After the bath--all cozy and in a box
Dupa baie--in pijamale si intr-o cutie

Ba-ba Baby

Here's just a little more of Baby Daniel and how he was talking the other day. I don't have time to write anything else for now. I worked all day and now have to finish my big research paper. So off I go!

Aici este un video-clip de acum cateva zile cu Daniel vorbind. N-am timp sa scriu mai mult acum. Am muncit azi, si acum trebuie sa termin de scris lucrarea mea mare. Gata, am plecat!

Six Months

Our baby Daniel has turned six months! As of yesterday. He just wants to be on the move but can't figure it out yet. His arms and legs are always kicking and swinging. In this way he reminds me of his cousin Victoria when she was a baby.

Scumpul nostru bebelus a facut sase luni ieri. Vrea sa se miste--sa mearga, de fapt--dar nu poate inca. Da din picioare si din brate tot timpul. Asa imi aminteste de verisoara lui Victoria cand era bebelus.

Little Elf--I put one of his newborn hats on him to try it out for size.
Un elf mic--i-am pus un fes de cand era nou-nascut sa vad ce fel ii vine.


More hats--this one's Samuel's.
Inca una--asta-i a lui Samuel.


Sweet pajama baby
Scumpul nostru bebelus in pijamale

Cool Kids

Because I've been gone from home so much lately, I don't have so many little stories about what the kids are up to. Plus, I have much less time to post anything about them. I really miss them during the day, but I'm trying to suck it up and move forward. At least I'm not going to work teary-eyed now like I did that first week. Now I'm just going blurry-eyed, trying to shake the sleep out!

De cand muncesc si nu mai stau asa de mult acasa in ultima vreme, nu mai am asa de mult de scris despre copii. Si oricum nu prea am nici timp ca sa scriu ceva aici despre ei. Mi-e dor foarte tare de ei ziua, dar trebuie sa merg inainte si sa fac ceea ce am de facut. Cel putin nu-mi mai vine sa plang cand merg la munca in fiecare zi (din cauza ca mi-e dor de ei). Acum merg doar somnoroasa la munca!

Haircut

Evi and I went out this morning. We hardly ever have time to spend together just the two of us. She had been waiting for months to get her hair cut short again. She let it grow out for Aunt Leah's wedding. And then we just got too busy to get it done over the past couple weeks. But now here she is.

Eu si Evi am iesit in oras azi dimineata. Nu prea avem timp stam impreuna numai noi doua. A asteptat luni de zile sa se tunda. Si-a lasat parul sa creasca pt. nunta in California. Si dupa-aia am fost prea ocupati s-o ducem sa se tunda. Dar uite-o acum.

Sweet Girl

Here she is. Playing jumprope with Samuel before school this morning. Nelu brought home Kung Fu Panda to watch this afternoon, so Evi wanted to make a movie theater. She was so excited. She closed the curtains in the living room, we set up the tray tables and sat down on the couch, and we had pop and pizza. Then 20 minutes into the movie, Evi got scared and didn't want to watch it anymore. Oh well.

Iata Evi. Aici se juca cu Samuel inainte se plece la scoala azi dimineata. Nelu a inchiriat un film pt. copii (Kung Fu Panda), si Evi vroia sa faca un fel de "cinema" in casa in seara asta. S-a bucurat tare. A tras perdelele in sufragerie ca sa faca intuneric. Ne-am asezat pe canapea si am mancat pizza si am baut suc. Si dupa 20 de minute, Evi s-a speriat si nu mai vroia sa se uite la film...

Mama's Boys

I need to put more pictures of Evi up here. I should show you her school picture--she looks so sweet. Here are my boys, though. Samuel got a toolbox from Grandpa this past weekend. He carries it around with him almost everywhere. And he even "fixed" a table for me, for which he asked a hundred dollars. I'm serious. I gave him a few coins to put in his little pocket, and he looked at me and said, "Dollars."

Trebuie sa pun mai multe poze cu Evi aici. Ar trebui sa va arat poza ei de la scoala--arata foarte dulce si draguta--dar nu se poate. Oricum, aici sunt baietii mei. Samuel a primit o trusa de scule de la tatal meu in weekend. O cara peste tot. Si chiar ca a "reparat" o masa pt. mine pt. care a cerut o suta de dolari. Serios. I-am dat niste bani marunti sa-i puna in buzunar, dar el s-a uitat la mine si a zis, "Dolari." Adica, bani mai mari.


And here's my little guy with his crooked smile. He would brighten anyone's day.

Si aici este baietelul meu cu zambetul lui stramt. Ar inveseli ziua la oricine.

Busy, busy

Just when we thought things couldn't get any busier here, I've been given more hours at work. I'm not sure if this is a temporary or permanent thing. Nonetheless, it is about to wear me out. I'm very glad to have a little more income, though, so I'll not complain. It's just that at the moment I'm working during the week and the weekend, so I'm trying to figure out when my homework is going to get done, and when I'm going to see my kids. At least I have a day off today. And, really, I am very thankful for this job and even the extra hours at this time.

Other than that, we're well. We're happy that Daniel slept through the night last night after several nights of waking up every hour or two. The doctor just gave him a clean bill of health today after a bout of ear problems. So we're very thankful for that. Here's my sweet baby. This is what he looked like when we went out trick-or-treating. I just hadn't gotten any pictures of him up from that night.

Am crezut ca nu putem sa fim mai ocupati decat eram deja, dar am amflat ca, da, se poate! Am primit mai multe ore de muncit la slujba mea. Nu stiu daca programul meu la munca o sa ramana asa permanent sau nu. Oricum, am multe de facut acum, si uneori ma simt ca nu pot sa fac fata. Ma bucur ca pot sa am un venit putin mai mare, deci nu vreau sa ma plang. Dar acum trebuie sa muncesc si pe cursul saptamanii si in weekend, deci nu stiu cand o sa-mi fac temele pt. scoala si cand o sa-i vad pe copii. Cel putin am liber azi. Si, de fapt, ma bucur ca am slujba asta si ca pot sa muncesc mai mult acum cat este nevoie.

In rest, facem bine. Ne bucuram ca Daniel a dormit toata noaptea azi noapte dupa ce a avut multe nopti in care s-a trezit cam la fiecare ora sau doua. Doctorita a spus azi ca este sanatos, dupa ce a avut probleme cu urechile. Si ne bucuram foarte mult pt. asta. Jos este o poza cu el. Asa arata cand noi am mers la trick-or-treat. N-am pus poze cu el din seara aia pana acum.

La Multi Ani, Nelu!

It's Nelu's birthday! Although he was born exactly two weeks after my sister, he's not 27 like she is! =) But I won't say how old....We had a tiny little party for him, with Dad here and also some friends of ours. I made him a cake, got pizza, and stopped by the European store on my way home from work for a couple Romanian-like foods that he really likes. Evi made him a cardboard spider (which is actually really cute). But unfortunately I forgot to get any pictures of Nelu's birthday. Just can't get it all, I guess...

Este ziua lui Nelu! El este deoseama cu sora mea (s-a nascut cu exact doua saptamani dupa ea)--ea spune ca are 27 de ani, dar noi stim altfel! =) Am avut o petrecere mica pt. el--au venit tatal meu si niste prieteni ai nostri. I-am facut un tort, am luat pizza, si i-am luat cateva lucruri (aproape) romanesti de la magazinul european cand am venit de la munca. Evi i-a facut un paianjen din carton (care, de fapt, este dragut). Dar din pacate am uitat sa-i fac o poza lui Nelu de ziua lui. Am incercat sa ma gandesc la toate lucrurile, dar n-am reusit pana la urma.

Big Frog

We don't know how many more days before it starts getting cold here, so the kids have been taking advantage of the trampoline. They invite the neighbor boys over and have a great time. But one day last week Samuel just wanted to get out there by himself while Evi was at school. You can tell here that he was having a good ol' time.

Nu stim cate zile frumoase mai sunt pana se face frig la noi, deci copiii folosesc cat mai mult trambolina. Ii invita pe baietii din cartier sa sara si ei, si au un timp foarte bun impreuna. Dar intr-o zi saptamana trecuta Samuel a cerut voie sa sara pe trambolina singur, cat Evi era plecata la scoala. Puteti sa vedeti ca a avut un timp bun acolo...

More Fall Photos

I got the kids back to the park to take more pictures yesterday. This time we had good batteries in the camera, a warm afternoon, and lots of time to play. It was fun for the kids.

I-am dus pe copii inapoi in parc sa le fac mai multe poze ieri. Data asta am avut baterii in aparat, o dupa-amiaza frumoasa, si mult timp de joaca. Copiii au avut un timp bun.

Evi and Samuel after they jumped in their pile of leaves
Dupa ce au sarit intr-o gramada de frunze

Daniel sitting in the grass
Daniel sta pe iarba aici

Princess Ariel out trick-or-treating on our street
Mica Sirena merge la trick-or-treat pe strada la noi

And this is Diego out for his first time of trick-or-treating
Si el este Diego de la desene animate--este prima oara cand merge la trick-or-treat

Finally, the lovely mountain of laundry I washed yesterday. I don't know how we ever wore that many clothes in just one week! Good thing Nelu helped me fold them--otherwise, who knows when I would've finished!

Si asta-i muntele de rufe pe care le-am spalat ieri. Nu stiu cum noi am purtat asa de multe haine intr-o saptamana! Bine ca m-a ajutat Nelu sa le pun la loc--altfel cine stie cand le-am fi terminat.