Family Day December 5, 2010

This year we visited Rockefeller Center to see the tree and the ice skaters. Then we had a fun lunch at "Ellen's Stardust Cafe" right at 50th and Broadway. Then we went to see the Broadway production of Mary Poppins" and it was spectacular!!! We came home, ate hot chili by the fire and watched the Christmas movie "Elf".

Grace age 8 years
 Michael age age 6 years

December 5, 2009

This year we traveled to the Bronx to visit the Aboretum along with our friend Donna who also has an adopted son, Ryan who she and her husband brought home from Russia 10 days after our return from Kaz in 2005!

Grace is 7 in the photo and Michael is 5.

December 5. 2008

Grace Curran is 6 years old and Michael Curran is 4 years...this ended up being our Christmas card for 2008! It's one of our favorites!!!

Growing strong Dec 5th 2007

We are enjoying ourselves during our 3rd picture 'out of the orphanage'. Once again we celebrated by going to New York City. We saw the real Santa at Macys and the real Grinch in a play. At home we had our Kazakhstani Chili and watched the original Miracle on 43rd street. God is good. Next year Grace will do the typing. God Bless….The Currans of KAZ

Family Day 2005

This is a picture of the 1st seconds out of the Orphanage December 5, 2005, 8:30am KZT. I had lost the disk that held this picture for 6 months. I went out on my mind looking for it. Fortunately we had Michael with us. He was rummaging through the diaper bag looking for something to destroy and he found the disk. This is the moment we will celebrate.

One year later Family Day 2006

Folks, I just wanted to give an update. Yesterday we celebrated ‘Family Day’. December 5th is one year from the day we left the orphanage together as a family. I am enclosing a picture of those first few seconds, the facial expressions tell the story. I am also including a picture of 1 year later. It has been a great year. It feels like we have been together forever. We have bonded nicely. The kids really love to hear their life story, when “Mama and Papa got married and then came and picked us up”. Part of the story we tell is the Day we landed in JFK and came home, Dec 9, 2005. I planned on mentioning this day during my Thanksgiving speech. Coming home to a house filled with toys and clothes and Christmas decorations was one of the most moving moments in our lives. We thank you, our macro family, for your generous gifts and thoughts and care. Your actions are part of our family history and tradition. We can not thank you enough.
As for the events of our family day? We went into the Big City to see the Tree. We took a horse/buggy ride in central park, where we found out that Grace does not stop talking when she has a Hot Chocolate high. The kids did very well and like true Kazakhstani’s they loved the cold. We were home by dinner where we had a traditional Kazakh meal, ‘Horse’ Chili, eaten in front of an open fire(place). It was a great day of Celebration. By the way the Kazakh flag has been flying out front all month from Nov 11th (our travel day) thru Dec 9th our arrival day.
Thanks for your Prayers. We owe St Theresa (The Little flower) for sending us our two Roses from Heaven’s Garden. And the Blessed Mother who helped in getting our “Hail and Blessed” wishes granted before Christmas last year. We will be giving our wishes away this year. No need to be greedy:)
God Bless YOU! The Currans
PS Barbara and I saw the Borat movie. Don’t waste your time. Being part Kazakh, we may be a little sensitive but… He really creates a totally unjustified bad reputation for Kazakhs. He doesn’t even speak Kazakh or Russian, It sounded like Polish to me. Two thumbs down.

Happy at home

We love our new home!

Merry Christmas To All

Thanks for all of the prayers and gifts.

God Bless!!!

Special Thanks

We'd like to thank our coordinators and homeside organizers. We’d also like to thank all of those who filled our house for our arrival. We walked into a home filled with gifts for the kids; Christmas decorations for the adults. Plus, there were kids clothes to last the winter and beyond, and food for a week, for all. Please thank Grace and Michael’s cousins who had to sacrifice their favorite toys and clothes for children they have not yet met. To have used items that we know worked for your kids was exactly what we were hoping for. . God is Good and you guys prove it.

Worst enemy ideas

If you have an enemy that you would like to punish, have them take two children on a 20 hour plane trip. 6 hours on one plane, 4 hours in an airport and 8 1/2 hours on the 2nd plane. No, no, please don't; it is too cruel. I am sorry I even suggested it. I was going to describe our painful trip from Kazakhstan to JFK in NYC but similar to what we hear mothers tell about giving birth, the pain subsides and it becomes a memory. Well the pain is subsiding for us but for the people on the plane, I am sure they will be talking about their experience for a long time. They will tell of screaming children and parents who couldn't prevent their kids from running up and down the isles. They will also tell of a girl who spoke Russian too many of the passengers and laughed infectiously when she wasn't screaming. They will tell of a little boy who screamed less and with less volume and who walked around for hours preventing his parents from getting any sleep. What they don't know is that the parents hadn't slept in days anyway.
Using EST
Wednesday 8:00pm - new parents wake up with kids
Thursday 11:00am – Parents get a power nap; kids get 5 hours sleep
Thursday 1:00pm - Left for the airport
Thursday 5:00 pm - 1st plane takes off – small naps
Friday 12:01 am - land in Frankfurt GMY. no naps
Friday 4:00am - 2nd airplane takes off – no naps
Friday 12:49pm EST - land in JFK.
Friday 12:50pm EST - Passengers ask if they can vote to let the kids become US citizens, luckily for Michael and Grace, it happens automatically. We weren’t able to get a full sleep until Sunday night. A beginning just like all parents, some have the stork come to them, we flew in the stork. We just wanted to get this documented to show the kids in the future. They owe us big time.
Final pictures are on the way.

There is no place like home

Two of the newest US citizens arrived at JFK on Friday 12/9/05 at 12:49pm EST. They did not enjoy their trip. I will tell you about the trip in a separate segment. We were greeted by Uncle Michael and Aunt Brigid. Grace was introduced to Brigid and she was not too sure about this stranger. Then Brigid handed her a bouquet of Balloons and suddenly she was the favorite Aunt. And since Michael was the driver he is the front runner as favorite Uncle. We know others want the title too. We say let the competition begin. The Aunt and Uncles can spoil our kids any time. As a matter of fact if you can pay for their college we will grant you the title outright.
The ride in the van was exciting for Grace and Michael, they both slept. Chris and Barbara were too wound up to sleep. When we got home we ran in to greet the dogs. They missed us and we missed them. They were a little out of sorts with the commotion the first day but they have settled down. Then we greeted the Barbara’s parents. They were jumping out of their skin to meet their first Grandchildren. Barbara carried in Michael. Michael was happy to see them. It was very emotional. Then Chris brought Grace in. As he took her from the car, the emotion over powered him. It is difficult to put into words. We are sure every parent has felt the same surge of energy when you are carrying your child to begin life in their own home. Your life passes in front of your eyes. Your entire heritage, all of your dreams for the child swell up. This is the moment you waited for, worked for and were groomed for all of your life. To take your child into their home, You feel the power of God. Chris walked with a tear in his eyes. Whispering “Welcome to your home, Grace Tanya”, “Ya tee bya Lu Blu” I Love you. Then Chris looked up to see his big sister Brigid looking at him with a knowing look, asking “how are you doing?” She gave them both a big welcome home hug. As Chris and Grace approached the door the grandparents were looking with wide grins and a sparkle in their eyes. Chris turned Grace’s face to them, their was as gasp, as if they said “this is our granddaughter, she is so beautiful”.
On Sunday Chris’ parents came to the home to visit. Grace was out playing in the snow with her father. Chris brought her to the car where the parents had that same wide smile and sparkle in their eyes. Even though there are more then 20 grandchildren it was obvious that these two are as special as each other one. A grandparent’s love has no limits. Their smiles lasted through the whole meeting. Grace and Michael behaved in a way that seemed to suggest “Yes, we are a family” Grace sang and danced with her new Snoopy doll from the grand parents. It was nice to watch her Grandfather’s eyes when her sang her song in Russian and she enjoyed her gift. At one she gave an unsolicited hug to Chris as if to say to the grandparents “don’t worry about us; I love my Mama and Papa.” As the Curran grandparents were putting their coats on to leave, Chris hugged his mother while holding Grace. Grace wanted nothing to do with that, she pushed Grandma away saying something in Russian including Papa, She was obviously saying this is my papa, you get your own. WE ARE HOME. THANK GOD.

New writer

We need to apologize for the grammatical errors on the previous two blogs. Grace wanted to participate, so we let her. We thought it would be cute to leave the mistakes in the final write up. Considering that fact that she only speaks Russian we are happy with her typing.