Monday, November 28, 2011
Visit to Santa and Build a bear
Warning: there are a lot of photos because someone couldn't decide.
We headed out to visit Santa before the lines got to long. This years visit was so much different from last year! Lukas really gets the whole thing this year and was not the least bit shy. The hardest part for him was the waiting and we were probably the 6th family in line.
Having fun with the fun house mirror. Wow, look at all those extra hands! That spells trouble for mom!
admiring the decorations and being silly!
The anticipation is building! I don't know how much longer he can last!
Finally, his turn has arrived!
While I waited in line to pay daddy tried to keep Lukas busy. He can't resist the escalators. Unfortunately for me Build a bear was at the top so we added a stop and Lukas came home with a new friend, Alvin. He was stylin for Christmas!
Chilliing on the sofa later in the day. Alvin was by his side constantly for several days.
We headed out to visit Santa before the lines got to long. This years visit was so much different from last year! Lukas really gets the whole thing this year and was not the least bit shy. The hardest part for him was the waiting and we were probably the 6th family in line.
Having fun with the fun house mirror. Wow, look at all those extra hands! That spells trouble for mom!
admiring the decorations and being silly!
The anticipation is building! I don't know how much longer he can last!
Finally, his turn has arrived!
While I waited in line to pay daddy tried to keep Lukas busy. He can't resist the escalators. Unfortunately for me Build a bear was at the top so we added a stop and Lukas came home with a new friend, Alvin. He was stylin for Christmas!
Chilliing on the sofa later in the day. Alvin was by his side constantly for several days.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving
Ok, I'm really behind in posting. My apologies to our loyal blog readers who keep looking for updates. So without further rambling from me I will attempt to recap the last two months.
we spent Thanksgiving on the eastern shore on my families farm. we headed down early and took Lukas' bike minus the training wheels. the previous month he rode one of their smaller bikes without training wheels briefly and we wanted to see if he could accomplish it with his bigger bike on a flat surface. He seemed to remember how he did it before and took off with a little assist on the start. With a little practice he became completely independent and hasn't looked back since!
we spent Thanksgiving on the eastern shore on my families farm. we headed down early and took Lukas' bike minus the training wheels. the previous month he rode one of their smaller bikes without training wheels briefly and we wanted to see if he could accomplish it with his bigger bike on a flat surface. He seemed to remember how he did it before and took off with a little assist on the start. With a little practice he became completely independent and hasn't looked back since!
Here he is riding like a champ! He takes off and rides through the neighborhood just like the other big kids now. Check out the videos at the bottom to see live action.
Lukas enjoyed spending time with his cousins during our visit. He especially likes playing with his youngest cousin Abbie. that appeased him for one day! He found out that Chris and Erik were coming as well and then all he did was ask when they were coming and if they were bringing their skate boards. he was a little disappointed they didn't bring their skate boards but was soon engrossed in a computer game they were playing. everyone was amazed at how quickly he picked up on it. I had a hard time breaking him away from it at times.
We had a nice time with the extended family for the holiday. Lukas and I watched the Christmas Elf special and he started getting concerned about how Anton was going to find him since we were not at home. I assured him that his elf would be there waiting for him when we got home. First thing he did was go look for him and was very excited to see him on his head board. he stole one of my catalogue a with Santa on the cover and set it next to him. How cute is that,
Lukas enjoyed spending time with his cousins during our visit. He especially likes playing with his youngest cousin Abbie. that appeased him for one day! He found out that Chris and Erik were coming as well and then all he did was ask when they were coming and if they were bringing their skate boards. he was a little disappointed they didn't bring their skate boards but was soon engrossed in a computer game they were playing. everyone was amazed at how quickly he picked up on it. I had a hard time breaking him away from it at times.
We had a nice time with the extended family for the holiday. Lukas and I watched the Christmas Elf special and he started getting concerned about how Anton was going to find him since we were not at home. I assured him that his elf would be there waiting for him when we got home. First thing he did was go look for him and was very excited to see him on his head board. he stole one of my catalogue a with Santa on the cover and set it next to him. How cute is that,
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Kazakhstan: Taraz city attack kills seven
12 November 2011 BBC News
Residents say the attacks have caused alarm in the normally quiet city of Taraz
A suspected Islamist militant has killed seven people in the city of Taraz in southern Kazakhstan - one of the worst attacks the country has seen.
The man shot dead four members of the security forces and two civilians before blowing himself up, killing another police officer, say officials.
The attack is the latest of several this year.
It is likely to raise concerns that the militant threat is growing in Kazakhstan.
The killings began when the attacker shot dead two members of the security forces who were following him, say prosecutors.
He then raided a gun shop, killing an employee and a passer-by, before hijacking a car and shooting dead two police officers who were chasing him, said a spokesman for the prosecutor- general's office.
As the police tried to disarm the man, he detonated explosives killing himself and one officer.
At least three other police were injured during the rampage.
The prosecutor's office described the 34-year old attacker as "a follower of jihadism," saying he was named Kariyev.
A criminal investigation has been ordered into the killings.
"We never thought that this kind of thing could happen here," a resident of Taraz told the Reuters news agency.
Recent attacks
The assault is highly unusual for Kazakhstan, but follows a handful of bomb attacks in recent months.
Two bombs were detonated in the western city of Atyrau in October, but only the bomber was killed.
A previously unknown Islamist militant group, Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate), said it was responsible for that attack.
Two people were injured in May when a suicide bomber attacked a regional security building in the northern city of Aktobe.
At the time that attack was blamed on an organised crime group.
Until this year, oil-rich Kazakhstan had not experienced any of the militant activity seen in some of its Central Asia neighbours.
However, following recent activity blamed on militants, the government introduced a new law to try to tighten its control over radical religious groups.
Residents say the attacks have caused alarm in the normally quiet city of Taraz
A suspected Islamist militant has killed seven people in the city of Taraz in southern Kazakhstan - one of the worst attacks the country has seen.
The man shot dead four members of the security forces and two civilians before blowing himself up, killing another police officer, say officials.
The attack is the latest of several this year.
It is likely to raise concerns that the militant threat is growing in Kazakhstan.
The killings began when the attacker shot dead two members of the security forces who were following him, say prosecutors.
He then raided a gun shop, killing an employee and a passer-by, before hijacking a car and shooting dead two police officers who were chasing him, said a spokesman for the prosecutor- general's office.
As the police tried to disarm the man, he detonated explosives killing himself and one officer.
At least three other police were injured during the rampage.
The prosecutor's office described the 34-year old attacker as "a follower of jihadism," saying he was named Kariyev.
A criminal investigation has been ordered into the killings.
"We never thought that this kind of thing could happen here," a resident of Taraz told the Reuters news agency.
Recent attacks
The assault is highly unusual for Kazakhstan, but follows a handful of bomb attacks in recent months.
Two bombs were detonated in the western city of Atyrau in October, but only the bomber was killed.
A previously unknown Islamist militant group, Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate), said it was responsible for that attack.
Two people were injured in May when a suicide bomber attacked a regional security building in the northern city of Aktobe.
At the time that attack was blamed on an organised crime group.
Until this year, oil-rich Kazakhstan had not experienced any of the militant activity seen in some of its Central Asia neighbours.
However, following recent activity blamed on militants, the government introduced a new law to try to tighten its control over radical religious groups.
Islamist militant kills seven in attack in Kazakh city
This was the first article we read about this attack. I have since found out from fellow adoptive parents that it happened within a 2 blocks of where we stayed during Lukas' adoption. I've posted a map at the end that shows the area we spent most of our time walking around. You can click on the photo to enlarge it. #1 is our hotel, #12 is the photo shop we printed our pictures at and #4 is a supermarket we shopped at. The explosion occurred in this area. It is really hard to believe this happened in Taraz. We walked the surrounding area many times. Our thoughts and prayers are with all our friends that live there.
Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:33am EST
By Robin Paxton
ALMATY (Reuters) - An Islamist militant killed seven people in running battles with security forces in a southern Kazakh city on Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the oil-producing state that was long seen as the most peaceful in Central Asia.
The prosecutor-general's office said a 34-year-old "follower of jihadism" killed four members of the security forces and two civilians in gun battles in the city of Taraz. He blew himself up when cornered, killing another policeman.
A string of blasts and shootouts, including one last month claimed by a hitherto unknown Islamist militant group, has unnerved the authorities and public of the former Soviet republic, a mainly Muslim nation of nearly 17 million.
A local resident of Taraz told Reuters that he heard the sound of explosions and gunfire in the center of the city, about 550 km (350 miles) west of Almaty, Kazakhstan's financial center and biggest city.
"We never thought that this kind of thing could happen here," said the resident, who did not want to be identified.
The prosecutor-general's office said a man it identified as M.K. Kariyev killed two members of the National Security Committee who had him under surveillance, before embarking on a spree of violence.
He raided a weapons store, killing a security guard and fatally wounding a visitor before escaping with two semi-automatic rifles, the office said.
It said the assailant hijacked a car and shot dead two policemen in pursuit, before collecting a grenade launcher from his home and shooting at the local building of the National Security Committee, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
The suspect later blew himself up when apprehended, killing a police officer who was attempting to disarm him. A further three police officers were injured in the attacks.
Television footage showed dead bodies lying on the street and police inspecting damaged cars. A semi-automatic rifle was visible on the front passenger seat of one car and an injured police horse was receiving treatment.
The Emergencies Ministry in Zhambyl region, of which Taraz is the capital, said it had no reports of any people wounded.
MILITANT THREAT
Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest and most successful economy, had until this year not witnessed the outbursts of Islamist militancy seen in other parts of the former Soviet region that lies north of Afghanistan.
Authorities officially ruled out any link to Islamist militancy when a man blew himself up in May at the offices of the National Security Committee in the northwestern city of Aktobe, killing only himself.
But after other unexplained shootouts and bombings, followed by the arrest of 18 people in the oil-hub city of Atyrau in August on suspicion of planning "acts of terror," Kazakhstan adopted a new religion law last month.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled Kazakhstan as a secular republic since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has backed the law -- which bans prayer rooms in state buildings -- as a means of stamping out religious extremism.
A group calling itself Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate) threatened violence in a video message shortly before claiming responsibility for two blasts in Atyrau on October 31. The suspected bomber was killed.
The prosecutor-general's office said this week that the group was responsible for the Atyrau blasts and had linked up with a militant cell formed in 2009 to carry out the bombings.
The prosecutor's office said on November 9 that the Kazakh nationals who founded the group were hiding on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(Additional reporting Dmitry Solovyov, Maria Gordeyeva and Olga Orininskaya; Editing by Rosalind Russell)
© Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved.
Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:33am EST
By Robin Paxton
ALMATY (Reuters) - An Islamist militant killed seven people in running battles with security forces in a southern Kazakh city on Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the oil-producing state that was long seen as the most peaceful in Central Asia.
The prosecutor-general's office said a 34-year-old "follower of jihadism" killed four members of the security forces and two civilians in gun battles in the city of Taraz. He blew himself up when cornered, killing another policeman.
A string of blasts and shootouts, including one last month claimed by a hitherto unknown Islamist militant group, has unnerved the authorities and public of the former Soviet republic, a mainly Muslim nation of nearly 17 million.
A local resident of Taraz told Reuters that he heard the sound of explosions and gunfire in the center of the city, about 550 km (350 miles) west of Almaty, Kazakhstan's financial center and biggest city.
"We never thought that this kind of thing could happen here," said the resident, who did not want to be identified.
The prosecutor-general's office said a man it identified as M.K. Kariyev killed two members of the National Security Committee who had him under surveillance, before embarking on a spree of violence.
He raided a weapons store, killing a security guard and fatally wounding a visitor before escaping with two semi-automatic rifles, the office said.
It said the assailant hijacked a car and shot dead two policemen in pursuit, before collecting a grenade launcher from his home and shooting at the local building of the National Security Committee, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
The suspect later blew himself up when apprehended, killing a police officer who was attempting to disarm him. A further three police officers were injured in the attacks.
Television footage showed dead bodies lying on the street and police inspecting damaged cars. A semi-automatic rifle was visible on the front passenger seat of one car and an injured police horse was receiving treatment.
The Emergencies Ministry in Zhambyl region, of which Taraz is the capital, said it had no reports of any people wounded.
MILITANT THREAT
Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest and most successful economy, had until this year not witnessed the outbursts of Islamist militancy seen in other parts of the former Soviet region that lies north of Afghanistan.
Authorities officially ruled out any link to Islamist militancy when a man blew himself up in May at the offices of the National Security Committee in the northwestern city of Aktobe, killing only himself.
But after other unexplained shootouts and bombings, followed by the arrest of 18 people in the oil-hub city of Atyrau in August on suspicion of planning "acts of terror," Kazakhstan adopted a new religion law last month.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled Kazakhstan as a secular republic since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has backed the law -- which bans prayer rooms in state buildings -- as a means of stamping out religious extremism.
A group calling itself Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate) threatened violence in a video message shortly before claiming responsibility for two blasts in Atyrau on October 31. The suspected bomber was killed.
The prosecutor-general's office said this week that the group was responsible for the Atyrau blasts and had linked up with a militant cell formed in 2009 to carry out the bombings.
The prosecutor's office said on November 9 that the Kazakh nationals who founded the group were hiding on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(Additional reporting Dmitry Solovyov, Maria Gordeyeva and Olga Orininskaya; Editing by Rosalind Russell)
© Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Resident Artist has first Showing
On Monday Lukas came home with the following note from school...
I volunteered in his classroom on Friday and was able to take a picture of his artwork that was displayed on the wall in the hallway. He is quite the budding artist. I'm not sure what the medium was, it may be chalk and string.
We are very proud of him. You did an AWESOME job Lukas!
I volunteered in his classroom on Friday and was able to take a picture of his artwork that was displayed on the wall in the hallway. He is quite the budding artist. I'm not sure what the medium was, it may be chalk and string.
We are very proud of him. You did an AWESOME job Lukas!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Lukas' First Report Card...Excellent
We were very curious to see Lukas' first ever report card. This first one for Kindergarten was all about Kindergarten readiness. During the 1st quarter they have been testing them and observing them in different areas to assess their readiness for kindergarten. Lukas was Full Readiness in every area but one. We weren't really surprised to see that he was not at Full Readiness in Personal and Social Development. He was marked as Approaching though. This is one of the reasons he has an IEP and was how we were able to get him qualified for SLP services with the IEP.
Friday, November 4, 2011
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