Welcome to the Kovar Khronicles

Hello people! Many of you are familiar with our website http://web.mac.com/dzana. Up until this spring, I was maintaining a blog and uploading pictures to this site. Unfortunately, I have had some issues with that site for the last several months... without going into too much detail, I have decided to join the masses and start a site on blogspot instead. :) I did port over all of the blog entries from the other site. As long as that site is still up and running, the links within this blog will take you to our webpage to view pictures and other information. However, I am not planning to update anything there beyond what was completed as of this spring.

So what will you find here? Updates about our family, how we are doing, what the kids are up to... maybe some rants or introspection as well. If you know me you know that I love to take pictures, so expect some of those as well! Be forewarned that we cannot post pictures of our two beautiful kiddos until their adoption is finalized, but I can tell you stories!

So stay tuned and check back. I am sure to have less trouble with maintaining this page!

Best Easter Ever (Old Site)

I know it sounds corny, but our hearts are overflowing. In the course of two weeks we have met with social workers about two kids in search of a family, had discussions with their previous care givers, teachers, social workers and therapists, met these two precious souls... and then were lucky enough to get to make the decision to move forward as their parents.

So much has happened in the whirlwind of the past week. When we met them on Tuesday, our visit flew by too quickly. In under 45 minutes, we had fallen in love. The seven year old (M) was such a story teller, and kept asking us thoughtful questions. The two year old (N) ran right over to jump up on Andy’s lap, (after peeking at us from the social worker’s lap for about 15 minutes,) and played for the rest of the visit. By the time we said goodbye, we felt a connection with them and had an overwhelmingly positive feeling that we all fit together. So we told their social worker, went back to her office to review their full file, and ended the day by forming a transition plan to welcome the kids into our home.

The first step of the plan was for us to bring them to our home for Easter weekend. We spent Wednesday - Friday in a bit of an excited panic. The stuff we had to acquire! The arrangements to make! The fact that we had no idea what we really needed... It was a lot to handle in three days. We found a crib, thanks to Michelle who loaned us the one that her daughter just grew out of. We bought a car seat and a booster seat, with helpful advice from Daja. We got a crib sheet and blankets - thanks for the help on the shopping trip Candice! We rearranged our house and moved M’s bed and set-up N’s crib (thank you Anna Marie!) We also went shopping for diapers and food... again thanks to Anna Marie who knows what 2 year olds will eat, as she has one herself! We borrowed a ton of toys from Anna Marie too... I arranged to take a leave from work, I started to look into school for M, who is in 2nd grade... I spoke to a million people between family, friends, social workers, foster parents, etc...

And then it was midnight on Friday and we had only 7 hours to sleep before we had to wake up to go get M and N for a full weekend. Surprisingly, I actually slept, less fitfully then I had for the first part of the week. And then our alarm clocks were ringing, we woke up and started getting ready, and my heart was pounding so loud that I was sure Andy would say something. He didn’t. I think his heart was pounding too!

When they got to the meeting place, we could easily tell that they were anxious. M asked for help pronouncing my name, (which is nearly a daily occurrence in my life,) and then practiced saying it several times. Andy and I had some struggles getting them into their seats at first, but after a couple of minutes we figured it out. And then we drove... the 75 minutes back to our house... with M counting the minutes (literally) the whole way.

M had a lot of nervous energy at first, and N was very quiet. I am sure we had a lot of nervous energy too... but we were trying very hard to be calm for the kids! Saturday was a great day, especially when we all seemed to get into the groove a bit. We walked to the elementary school, which is about 5 minutes away, and played on the playground for a little over an hour. We played make believe. We dyed easter eggs. We watched Hannah Montana. We played puzzles with N... he was very good at them! We had some temper tantrums and some time outs. I put N to bed at 8... and M fell asleep cuddling with me on the couch. All in all, it was a great day.

The real fun for us was the chance to give them an Easter... our first holiday with kids. They both got their baskets and were so excited on Easter morning. N got a doctor’s kit, and we were checking each other’s temperatures all day. M got a magic 8 ball. M’s favorite toy was not one that came for Easter. It was a Cabbage Patch Kid that I had in her room. She found the adoption papers that come with every Cabbage Patch Kid, and wanted to know how they worked. So, we had an adoption ceremony. She named her Gloria Princess Marie W. She signed the papers, and then Gloria went with her everywhere for the entire weekend.

On Sunday night we took the kids back to their foster home. We didn’t want them to go home. Just before leaving, M asked Andy if we were an adoptive home. When he told her that we were, she got a huge smile on her face. N got very quiet again. Both of them fell asleep on the drive. As we left them at their foster home, and drove away, it felt very weird. We cannot wait until we see them again...

So, we will have them with us again next weekend... and the weekend after that they will move into our house with us! Two weeks seems like very little time in the way of preparation, but way too much time to be apart.

Forgive me for the abbreviation of their names, and the lack of pictures. We have not received permission to share more information yet, and we want to make sure we are following the rules for the safety of the kids! You know me though... I took 138 pictures of M and N this weekend... as soon as we receive the go ahead, they will be posted!!!

More Winter Fun and Adoption News (Old Site)

Yeah! Two weeks and two blog entries! Am I back on track? We’ll just have to wait and see...

So, to catch you up on more of our winter happenings... In January I celebrated my birthday. It was fun... it was actually the first time I had felt good since getting sick on Christmas! Andy and I opened presents together, and went to the Outback for dinner. It was a nice low-key birthday. Andy gave me a whole bunch of accessories for my camera, which I really appreciated. He gave me a lens hood, a UV filter, a lens cleaning kit and a leash for my lens cap. This all came in very handy on our trip to Utah!

January also threw us some curve balls on our path to adoption. We found out about a few children that were available, but most of them didn’t pan out. There was one that we were able to learn quite a bit about, and we struggled with the choice of whether we wanted to pursue placement with him. In the end we decided not to proceed, for various reasons.

Skipping ahead a couple of months, Andy and I found out about two children that were looking for a family. Our adoption agency sent in our homestudy in response to the social worker’s inquiry. Two weeks ago we found out that we were selected as a potential family, and we had a meeting with the team for these children last Monday. Then on Friday we found out that they would like to proceed with us... we were able to talk with their previous foster parents, teachers, therapists and social workers. Now we are prepping ourselves to meet these kids tomorrow afternoon! We are very, very excited... and trying not to be too hopeful, as it is always possible that it won’t work out. However, this is looking really good - and we have a very positive feeling about it! So, within time we may be foster parents to a seven year old little girl and a two year old little boy! In the state of Washington, you have to remain foster parents for a period of at least six months prior to adopting children that have been in the foster care system... and then, if everything goes well we will have the option to adopt.

Needless to say, we are excited at the potential. For many of you, I am sure that it is also obvious that we are a little frightened as well. The idea of becoming instantaneous parents to a seven year old and a two year old is a bit overwhelming. Along with the idea, we need to prepare two rooms for children (not just one) and find a way to acquire all of the things needed to parent children of these ages. Regardless, we feel like we are emerging from a long tunnel... and can hardly believe that we may soon, finally, be someone’s mom and dad.

More good news for me... since last October I have been doing Weight Watchers with a friend. I did well in the first six weeks and then hit a major plateau. But, in the last month I have broken it! This past weekend I accomplished a 10% loss from my starting weight. I weigh less now than I have since 2000. In all, I have lost nearly 24 pounds... (I had a great week last week and actually went well over my 10% goal!) I am feeling good and excited to set a new goal, now that my first is done. I am down three sizes from where I started too!

So, I will try to update next week with a recap of our trip to Utah... which also took place in January!

A New Goal (Old Site)

I have a goal. Well, I have many goals really... but where my blog is concerned, I have one new goal. That is to find a way to update everyone on what has happened in the two and a half months since my last entry.

I know it has been a long spell, and many of you have asked me when I am going to blog again! We have been in a bit of a whirlwind since returning from our Christmas vacation. I have been working on uploading pictures and going through them, meanwhile more things keep happening! So, I have finally decided - enough already, I will do what I can to update this page.

So, let’s start with Christmas. For Christmas this year Andy and I took a trip down to visit our families in California. We spent a full 10 days there. All of my siblings were able to come home, with all of their kids in tow. Andy’s brother was able to come visit his dad as well... so we had a lot of opportunity to visit.

Here’s where the twist comes in... On Christmas Eve I suddenly did not feel well. On Christmas day I struggled through the early morning present unwrapping, and then went back to the hotel and straight to bed. I was running a decent fever, and couldn’t make the drive to my grandparents in San Diego. Poor Andy stayed with me all day... although I think he did eventually make it to his dad’s house. I was sick and in bed for three straight days, days that are very foggy to me! But... although I was not feeling well during the entire trip, we still managed to have fun. Andy definitely did a lot more visiting with family than I was able to! The colds and other viruses that went around this year were horrible. That cold took me three miserable weeks to kick.

One good thing about spending all of the time in bed is that I read some really good books over the holidays. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I enjoyed 1000 times more than the Kite Runner. I also read the Christmas Shoes and the Autobiography of Santa Claus. Then I started a book that my sister, Liel, said she had heard was good... World War Z. I finished that one after returning home, and it was pretty good. Out of them all, my favorite was definitely a Thousand Splendid Suns. It was a big reading vacation for me!

While we were home we also had a birthday party for my niece Quinlan, went shopping (more than once,) and went to Castle Park... which is a pretty neat miniature golf course by my parent’s house. Yes, I have made it through my pictures... and I have posted some of them up on the Christmas 2007 page!

We all rang in 2008 together. Unfortunately, my family had other bugs going around too... and my brother ended up going to the emergency room for dehydration. By New Year’s Day, I think 3 more people were sick... but they all caught what my sister started, so I do not take the blame for that! Andy and I made it home in one piece, and jumped right back into work the next day.

So, at least that is something of an update, right? Stay tuned for my stories on my birthday and our trip to Midway, Utah for the Sundance festival and skiing... and eventually an update on Boone, my weight loss journey, and the adoption progress!

Hapy Holidays From the Kovars (Old Site)

Christmas is literally just around the corner, and I am amazed at how quickly the holiday season has gone! Just a few weeks ago I was thanking the calendar for the extra time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year... and now it seems as though the time has gone faster than normal. No matter how many days we have to prepare, it is always a last minute scramble to get gifts in order, make cookies and fudge, visit everyone, attend the parties, and put out the cards. (You’ll all be lucky if my cards actually make it out for Christmas this year, I might target ‘New Years’ cards instead!) I don’t think it helped matters that Andy and I both were sick during the month. I’ve been the lucky recipient of three viruses since Thanksgiving. Personally, I hope I am done for the year!

This should be the final blog for 2007 for me... I will see you all again in 2008. Andy and I have already set our New Years resolutions to do some work on the house. We’re expecting to meet our future child at some point during the year, and know that will turn our lives upside down. (Boone doesn’t know it yet - that should be a fun surprise for him!) Still no news on that front, but we are just so happy that we were able to complete all the paperwork, take all the training courses, and enter our chosen program this year.

Whether our holiday card reaches you before Christmas or after, I want you all to know that we are thinking of you during this holiday season. We hope that you take the time to stop, enjoy the lights, the music, and spend the time with your families. We’re wishing you the best of years in 2008!

Considering Arks (Old Site)

Last time I updated my blog I wrote about a nice little storm that had stopped by and dropped a few inches of lovely snow for us. I actually believe that I wrote that we were lucky that rain had come in on Sunday to melt it before the work week began. Luck might not have been the best word to use. I was unaware of the volume of rain fall we would receive on Sunday night and all through Monday. Pictures like the one above were typical sights around us for a few days last week. Andy stayed home from work for two days ... which was a good thing because most of his routes were blocked by significant amounts of water. I, however, got in my car and drove in to work, which was quite an adventure. On Monday morning I drove through two ponds and was turned around 3 times. The last road closure that turned me around was due to flooding on a road in front of me, where I saw only the top 1/3 of a red sedan and a pickup truck turned completely on its side. The best was on my drive home, where I had a few particularly tense minutes as I drove through one nearly washed out street on the way home. (The next morning it had been closed.) I am happy to report that we are safe, that there was no flooding in our neighborhood, and most of the streets around us are now open.

I have decided that if the weather is going to continue to throw us curve balls, it may be a good idea for us to invest in some survival items for the future. For one, we need to check our food storage supplies... drinking water, canned food, etc. Second, we’ll make sure that we have wood to burn for heat if needed. Next, I’m thinking a generator would be a great idea... it is really annoying to lose power. And finally, I think it might be a good idea to invest in an ark. I saw pictures of people kayaking down I-5 in Centralia last week, but I’m thinking that an ark might be more comfortable. We could get all of our neighbors together and build it on the field at the elementary school. Yes? Well, I guess it’s not the most practical idea... But when the rain kept falling last week, I did seriously start to wonder just how high the water was going to get in some places.

This week we have been lucky to have very calm, although cold, weather. I hope that it holds up for another week. Andy and I have done barely anything to prepare for Christmas... and I could use the good weather to get a few things done!

First (and Second) Snow of the Year! (Old Site)

Some of you know, (which means that some of you don’t,) that Andy and I were raised in Southern California. As Southern Californians, we only saw snow when we made the conscious choice to drive to see it - usually for a day or two - and then we drove back down to the warm valley that was, and is, Riverside. I lived in Utah for a couple of years when I was going to college, but as I didn’t have a car I didn’t have to learn how to drive in the snow. When Andy and I were trying to decide where we wanted to live, snow played a big part in the decision. My criteria were simple - if we were moving it had to be to a place that was not humid, not too hot and did not see a lot of snow. That left us with Northern California (too expensive) or Seattle. So we picked up and moved to the Puget Sound region. We are entering our 10th winter here, and every year we seem to have more snow, and it seems to start sooner. This year and last, the snow started the week of Thanksgiving!

Our first snow was this past Monday, it barely stuck and was gone by morning. Then our second snow was on Saturday, it accumulated a few inches, but luckily rain came today and it’s now nearly gone. We do really enjoy the way snow looks, and last year we really got used to driving in it. That doesn’t mean we like driving in it though!

Boone got to see snow for the first time this week, and he loves it! He was having fun playing in it and seemed to enjoy eating it as well. He kept asking us to go outside yesterday, it was pretty cute. Speaking of Boone, he is really turning into an awesome dog! He knows most of his commands very well, and will follow them either from speech or hand signal. He’s good at sticking with us instead of wandering when we’re outside... and he has turned into a cuddler.

We are doing well, and enjoying the start of the holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Carleigh, Joe and their family... it was a lot of fun, but I neglected my camera so I have no pictures to show for it! I’ve been listening to Christmas music on the radio and we decorated the office. Soon I will have to decorate the house... And hopefully I will take pictures of that.

There hasn’t been much change for us in the past two weeks... we’ve just been enjoying our time together and getting ready for a fun Christmas. We’re doing well on the adoption front, and are at a period of waiting. As there is more news on that, I will let everyone know. I’ve updated Boone’s picture album with his six-month picture, and I’ve also put a couple below in case you don’t go visit the whole album!