Some Maurin Family Updates

(This blog post was written a very long time ago. I just hadn't had a chance until now to post pictures. So i have updated a few things with progress we have made)

 It seems like forever since I have been able to sit and blog. I am sure that no one really cares what is going on with our crazy family anymore, but I am going to try to update frequently just for my own benefit.
The summer ended and our life got nuts.
The girls were baptized August 3rd and it was a beautiful day. We had many friends and family attend and  we were all so grateful for the support that they all showed to us. The girls were glowing and happy and it was a really great day.The YW (all that could come) sang a beautiful musical number during the baptism. The girls had got to know each of them a little better during girls camp, a few days before their baptism.

Miranda was accepted into Pioneer High School for the performing arts and decided that she would like to attend. No big deal, right?! Accept the school is in a 30 minute drive from our house. Still we decided that this would be a wonderful opportunity for her and that she would love it, so we made some sacrifices and adjustments to the budget and worked out a way to get her to and from school each day. Unfortunately this makes for an even busier afternoon for me! (It seems to be working out really well and the school is a perfect fit for her. I am so happy that the hard work and effort is paying off for her)

Everyone else started school (including Carter) a few days after Miranda and then life really took off. You would think that I would be jumping for joy because I would have a few hours to myself. Well I was until I was offered  a job working for the school district. I thought, "Hey I have no kids at home anymore I could work during school hours and be home when they are and it will be great!" Well I was right, but I didn't expect it to be as hard as it has been. I neglected to take into consideration that there would hours of extra time spent helping the girls understand and doing their homework each day. While also trying to find time to help the other 3 and do laundry, cook dinner and generally take care of the chores that I would normally do during the day. Needless to say, my house is falling apart. I am constantly embarrassed whenever anyone comes to my house because I am either to busy to pick stuff up or I am to exhausted to do it. Luckily for me, I don't get too many visitors. Lets hope I can figure out how to fix the mess. (The kids are helping with their chores each day and have been really good about it, but it just doesn't seem to be enough! So if you happen to come by, no judging, i am trying :) )

School has been interesting. When I enrolled the girls in school I specifically asked to have them tested, but the Councillor said they would put them in normal classes and see how they do. I was a little worried about how Nastia would handle that and it turns out I was right to be (shocking, I know). I mentioned that it takes literally hours to get homework done with them both, I wasn't kidding. I am learning that their may be more struggles to come with one of the girls and I am hopeful each day that I am up to the task. I am not used to having to work so hard to have my kids understand any given topic. I am not sure I am equipped but I am doing the best I can for her. I am hoping that the school will get their testing done for her so that she can be put in appropriate classes. She is constantly feeling like a failure, and that is making it really difficult to have her want to be at school at all. This could be a very long year! (update from when I wrote this, Nastia is still struggling with a lot for things but the school as been wonderfully helpful. Each of her teachers has put together a plan to make sure she can succeed in their class. They all recognize what abilities she has and what she still needs work on and are willing to do what they can to help her feel good about school. I feel very blessed to have her at a school that is so willing to work with her. Funnily enough the Dean of students speaks Russian and they also have a Math tutor that works with her 3 times a week that speaks Russian. I guess they were meant to be at this school!)

Two weekends ago on September 7th we had the privileged of having our daughters sealed to us for Eternity. It was such a beautiful day and the spirit was so strong. I had been worried about whether the girls would want to be sealed to us or whether the would feel like it was betraying their other family. I was pleasantly surprised by the response we got when we asked them if they wanted to. Olena very matter of factually said "Why wouldn't I, you're my parents!" Nastia wasn't quite so exuberant about it but happily agreed.
During the sealing our sealer mentioned something about how angels were in attendance. A friend of mine, one of my neighbors told us later that "she felt very strongly during that moment that the girls parents were in attendance and that they were pleased with their decision and that they were in the right place." After hearing that I of course lost it and felt such a huge relief that they were pleased with the girls choice to be sealed to us. It made an already fabulous day, full of smiles, Even Better. Thank you to every one of my friends that came and supported our family. It meant so much to us to have you all there.

The missionaries that taught the girls were able to be in the sealing with us. So special for them and us :) As well as some of my closest friends. 

I love the colors in the picture. You can see our real personalities in pictures like these :)

 

We went out to lunch after the sealing with some friends and the missionaries.

The kids had a water fight after we got home, but Nastia wouldn't participate.

Our forever family!