Family Pictures 2024

 Oh the joy and stress of getting family pictures taken! It's definitely a lot less troublesome than it used to be when the kids were little, but still, it's an event that I have to prepare for, especially with all the outfits. 

We managed to squeeze in one evening after our New Zealand trip, after Alex came back from Florida (from hanging out with the boys) and before Katya left for BYU. 

And here we are--May of 2024. Alex-18, Katya 20, Mark 15. Robert and Lyana-ageless.

Aw...we had so much goofy time getting these shots-hahahaha. 

Melissa, the photographer, tried really hard to make us feel like we are in the middle of the engagement photo shoot. 

Did you say to act cute? Oh, ok...

"Look at her with much adoration"-hahaha. 

"Try to run away and pull him behind you"--easier said than done with high heels! 

Katya, wins the most photogenic awardl! 

Katya is one strong young woman, with a lot of power to make this world a better place. 

She has so much love to give and is a great listener. 

Alex--fresh out of being a freshman at BYU, in his transitional era, between college and mission. 

Not serious all the time though. Still life of the party! 

This young man is so hardworking and service oriented! 

Model material right here.

Mark, the kid who keeps us guessing. Will he do his chores on time? Will he talk to us on the drive to tennis? Will he eat all the Hi-chews in one sitting? How many tennis shoes can you own at one time?

This young man is a treasure--so hardworking and smart. He is funny too! 

Half of the time we are trying to figure out what he is thinking which makes him even more interesting. 

I love our family. 

The boys are back. It's all about the hair apparently nowadays. 

Two brothers! Our handsome Alex and Mark.

Wait a second.... is this Robert? He is just getting better looking with each year!  

All professional and fun loving at the same time! He can pull your tooth out with no problem and then crack a stellar dad joke (not a tooth) a moment later! 

I mean... it's impossible not to love this guy! 

Well, hello, Ukrainian mail order bride (that's me...I am the one writing, so I can say that-hahaha)! 

I must admit Melissa must have added some magic or something because I am actually okay with these pictures of me. They look real.

For our blog's eyes only-hahaha. 

And beautiful pictures with mama. 

And a fun picture with tato. 

And our gorgeous kids! Stay close to each other forever and ever! 

Yay! We survived another family photo shoot! Huge thanks to Melissa, our friend, who helped us capture our family in this moment in time.

Next time we'll probably take pictures once Alex is off his mission in the summer of 2026!

Lyana. 

Summer Swim and End of Summer 2022

Summer swimming with the Apex Breakers is the absolute highlight for Alex's summer holidays, he loves being part of the team, and especially when he gets to be one of the coaches! Kids love him as well as he is so funny and social. He has also improved so much in both--his swimming skills and coaching skills over the last few years. 

Mark is a completely different story. We tricked him into signing up for summer swim by convincing him he needs it for cross training (which he does!). He religiously went to practices but absolutely did not enjoy swimming "properly". Tuesday nights were long and tiring for him especially after a few hours of playing tennis but he did not quit, just said “never again”-haha. 

I mean, I think Mark secretly did enjoy hanging out with his buddies during practices and waiting for his turn to swim during the meets. 

Proof! 

Here is Alex swimming, actually doing proper diving and strokes now. 

And Mark ready to swim. 

Hot summer nights under the pool lights. 

"Everyone jump in!" at the end of the meet. 

Parents have to volunteer at the swim meets as well, so Robert and I do mostly timing or ribbon distributing. It is usually VERY hot and it's crowded...and just in general a complete opposite from tennis or rowing. The boys know how to swim freestyle, breast stroke, butterfly and backstroke--that is way more than Robert and I. I am proud of them! I am so grateful Alex loves it and gets to do it as a job for one more year after his senior year. Mark said there is no way he would do it again-hahaha. 

And...so August came around and so did Alex's senior year. As a tradition we got to decorate seniors' parking spots the night before the school started. Katya and Mark went to town--amazing references to all parts of Alex's life. 

And here the official first day of school picture! Alex--12th grade and Mark--8th grade. 

Alex, the senior. 

And a great picture from Katya's missionary "farewell" party--Alex and Hunter, one of Katya's good friends who was on his way to Tahiti for a mission.

This post is a compilation of bits and pieces but it presents a glimpse into our summer lives:).

Lyana.

 

Summer 2020

This summer of 2020 was unlike any other. In fact it feels like it had started in March because the kids were home for so many months. We love summers in North Carolina! I love the heat and the sunshine and the beautiful flowers that bloom by our house (gardenias bloom twice for me!). But here is a quick recap mostly in regards to the kids, although it’s worth mentioning that Robert is doing great with his private office and is enjoying owning a dental clinic. 

Alex probably had one of the most eventful summers as he learned how to drive! They had to do behind the wheel lessons wearing masks and the theory lessons virtually. We hired a private company to do all of that as we knew that the school was going to be months behind on fitting him in. 

And then he passed the written test and got a permit! Robert is the main adult driving with him because he still makes me nervous;). Only once though he jumped the curb and rode on the grass for 30 feet or so.

 

Oh yes! And Alex got his first OFFICIAL job! He was not even 15 when he got hired by Chick-Fil-A. They receive so many applications (they said they hire one out 25 that apply) and they picked Alex! He loves working there although it’s a minimum wage pay till he is 16. It’s been good for him to be social and also learn how to work outside of home. 

He still does chores at home, of course. But on the side, he tries to go perform in Downtown Apex when he can. He loves it, but has been kind of tired after working till 7 pm at CFA. He makes around $40-80 PER HOUR when he goes busking, which is incredible!

Oh yes, Alex also got to participate in a rowing camp in July. He still loves rowing, thus he signed up for rowing for another season in the fall with Jordan Lake Crew. 

This post is not just about Alex, I promise.

The following pictures probably fits better with Mark’s tennis post, but here it is! One of the highlights of Mark’s summer--winning 96 Dunlop tennis balls. This is three out of four boxes that arrived on our porch one day. 

This year our neighborhood pool did open but we had a very strict cleaning routine (families took turns volunteering cleaning it) and we had to sign up in advance to visit the pool. 

Our gorgeous kids.

Robert covered his corn hole boards with Bass and Watson sticker. Somehow that diminished the kids’ desire to play corn hole😂😂😂.

Oh yes! And for the 4th of July, we got together with friends to play baseball at Kelly Road Park. Our kids turned out to be pretty good actually!!!

We were trying to avoid big crowds....of course, having many kids kind of makes it difficult. 

And then we celebrated 4th of July on our own at home...probably first time ever. 

We made good food and enjoyed each other’s company.

Apple pie from scratch???

Alex, the master of watermelon cutting! He gets lots of practice of cutting watermelon and pineapples in our house.

Oh, and of course, how can we forget Katya’s awesome gig this summer???  Katya got to work at Robert’s office as an aid/receptionist/COVID scanner/helper of what’s needed. She loved this job and people really enjoyed working with her.

 She looks particularly excited in this picture 😂😂😂

So this post showed me that I am not taking enough pictures of me and Robert and also that Mark doesn’t have lots of non-tennis pictures. 

We are so grateful for our extended family time this summer and know it has definitely changed our family dynamics. The big kids spent a lot of hours with us rather than hanging out with a bunch of friends. We know they wish things were different, and so do we, but we are accepting these (TEMPORARY) changes in life. Things will work out.