Musings on the girls

This was written Nov 2nd 2007, on our way to Utah on an airplane. Aliana has asked me to publish it, so here I go.

Well, the girls have been here from Russia for three years now. The journey has been an incredible one. I can't believe that that three short years ago, we went seven thousand miles. It was a great wonderful experience then, and continues to be so.

Aliana came here loud and boisterous. She was demanding, silly and fierce. She knew what she wanted and went after it. At ten years old, she thought she was in charge, and most of the time, we helplessly stood by, and gave her the control so we could translate Russian to English. Not that she understood the English, but she was able to pick up very quickly on things we needed - temporarily- and with keeping both other girls in check. She was a huge help in Russia. (And home in America).

Now, three years later, Aliana has calmed down somewhat - but can still be load and bossy. She doesn't like the teasing and silliness as much as she did before, and sometimes now she is sullen and acts like she is bored to death and just doesn't care about anything. It's called "I'm thirteen now, and I'm all that and a bag of chips". "Word up'!

She is amazingly beautiful, and smiles so delightful that it captures your heart and takes your breath away. She loves to dance, chorus, she loves to sing. She loves music, her IPOD, Frankie, (our shit tzu), and is now big into wearing fashionable clothes. Her hormones are all over the place, (of course, I would be worried if they weren't!).

Would I trade her? Do I ever regret getting her "last minute"? NO!!! NEVER!!! She has added so much dimension, diversity, frustration, giddiness, spirituality, you name it, that I know - yes I KNOW ----Aliana is supposed to BE HERE. She is a gift from up above. Thank you Heavenly Father for her life.

She is very helpful and self sufficient. She has the mind of an engineer - always can figure out how to do something and to put things together. Beauty and brains make for a lethal combination. She is a handful, but has sung her way into our hearts. Also, Aliana is a Daddy's girl!!!! How she is loved! (this pictures is a picture of Aliana in a dress that I wore at 18 years old!)