Today, 22 November 2008, marks the three year anniversary of our court date in Tyumen, Russian Federation where we officially and legally became Nastia’s and Alesya’s parents. There are certain things that still stick in my mind from that day, ranging from the purple and green velvet dresses (A & N respectively) through Nastia testifying in court and the subsequent running around to deal with paperwork so we could head to Moscow to process out at the US Embassy.
In previous years, our Family Day celebrations were still filled with certain tensions and behaviors that were less than desirable. Today was very different and, well...something you could almost call “normal”. After our usual Saturday equestrian activities (lessons for Alesya, Nastia and me), we had a quick lunch and headed home. Because Nastia had a fall today during her lesson, she spent a short time soaking in the whirlpool tub to relax her muscles. Still, she was pleasant, more or less. Alesya kept busy riding her bike and so forth and Alison prepared our small pond for the winter season. This evening, we all went out to dinner at a local restaurant that is a favorite of our for special occasions (and for lunch for me about once a week). The meal was pleasant. There was no bad behavior or complaining about the food. I felt zero tension. It was uncanny. We all just enjoyed the meal (what we could finish of it since we had such a late lunch...) and had a nice time. In the last year, these girls have come a long way, especially Nastia.
No family day would be complete without a nice desert and, well...something else to commemorate the occasion...and this one was no exception. After we arrived home from the restaurant, Alison cut some slices of a nice chocolate cake for everyone and then she handed the girls each a small, silver box. In each box was a sterling silver necklace with an oval pendant that contains a “family tree”. The inscription inside the box read something like, “A family accepts you and loves you just how your are.” Exactly.
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