Welcome to the Trenches

Finally, after almost a year of trying to transition from our adoption blog to a family blog, I am pleased to welcome you to the Trenches of Motherhood, my own little corner of the world wide web where I can share with you the joys, triumphs, exhaustion, tears, frustrations and tender moments that make motherhood the most challenging, most rewarding job I have ever had!

Several months ago, my friend Stacey "tagged" me to do an "All About My Kids" post and I thought that would be a great way to open this new chapter in the blogosphere. So without further ado, here are the troops:

All About Evan



Name and Meaning: Evan Valera Rieben. Evan spent the first 3+ years of his life as Valera Aleksandrovich Degtjar. When we saw Evan for the first time, we knew that he was meant to be a part of our family. When we learned that his name was the masculine form of mine, we felt that was God's way of reaffirming that Evan was ours. The name Evan means, "God is good" and we have witnessed, first hand, just how true that is every day since Evan first entered our lives. We chose to keep Valera as his middle name because that was the name his birth mother gave him and we wanted him to have that part of his heritage (and allow him the choice to keep it or change it when he is old enough to make that decision).

Age: 4.4 years

Nicknames: I'm not sure why, but Evan is the only one of my children who has escaped my crazy nicknames! Someday I am sure he will consider himself lucky.

Favorite Activities: Evan LOVES to sing. You will find him singing at all hours of the day and sometimes, he even sings in his sleep! He loves to splash in the bathtub and spends hours playing in the sandbox. He loves going to preschool and especially likes riding the bus. He likes to read, color, paint and spend time with his family and friends. He also thinks flying on airplanes is pretty neat!

Favorite Foods: First and foremost, Evan has never met a cookie he didn't like! He is also a big fan of anything and everything chocolate. He has a newfound love of chicken nuggets and I am convinced he would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if allowed. He also enjoys a good pancake, bread and we are learning that he has a special place in his taste buds and tummy for soup!

Least Favorite Foods: Odd as it may seem, he is not a big fan of most childhood favorites like macaroni and cheese, pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Favorite Music: Evan LOVES music of all kinds! In fact, when we first met Evan, he was a bit wary of us (and who could blame him, we were strangers speaking a foreign language) and would cry through the majority of our visits. One day I decided to sing to him and as soon as I started singing, he stopped crying. He was mesmerized. From then on, Richard and I would sing to him at every visit and he rarely cried after that. Some of his favorite songs include, "I am a Child of God," "Families Can Be Together Forever," "I Love to See the Temple," "Give Said the Little Stream," "The Hokey Pokey," "If You're Happy and You Know it," "The Wheels on the Bus" and "BINGO"

Favorite Toys: Evan is a big fan of stuffed animals. His favorite animal is a rainbow-colored bear that his Grandma DD brought him shortly after he came home from Ukraine. He sleeps with it every night and it accompanies him to doctors appointments, hospital stays and even on road trips. He also like to play with puzzles, with sand toys in the sandbox and with toy cars and trucks.

Favorite Book: Evan loves a good story, especially stories about Curious George, Corduroy and all the books by Laura Numeroff (author of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..." )

Favorite Item of Clothing: Evan loves, loves, LOVES his slippers! Once he got his casts off and got his new KAFO's (Knee Ankle Foot Orthoses), I decided to put some slippers on over his braces to keep his feet warm while they were adjusting (I didn't want to put him in shoes since they usually squeeze the feet a little more and didn't think he was quite ready for that). Now he asks for his slippers constantly! He wears them 24-7 and loves them!

What Makes Him Happy: There isn't much that doesn't make Evan happy. I like to call him my little piece of sunshine because he is always smiling! He loves to give and receive hugs and kisses and to snuggle. Chocolate never fails to bring a smile to his face. Riding the bus, playing in the sandbox, reading books and going to preschool also make him deliriously happy!

What Makes Him Sad: Evan is a mama's boy and really isn't a fan of being away from his mommy. He also doesn't care much for doctors, cast saws, mommy speaking Russian, or being made to eat grilled cheese sandwiches.

All About Maren



Name and Meaning: Maren Elizabeth Rieben. People often ask me how we came up with the name Maren. The first time I heard the name was in 8th grade orchestra when I was living in West Valley City, Utah, where a girl named Maren sat next to me in the 2nd violin section. I loved her name and it stuck with me. I met another Maren when I was in college and was reminded again of how much I liked the name. One Sunday morning, while we were visiting my mother-in-law's ward (congregation), a baby was blessed and her name was Maren. When Richard and I returned home from church that day I asked him if we could name our first daughter Maren Elizabeth. He loved it too and a year and a half later we named our beautiful baby girl Maren Elizabeth Rieben. Maren is lucky to be named after several amazing people to include my mother (Elizabeth Anne), Richard's step-mother (Elizabeth), my youngest sister (Haley Elizabeth) and my cousin (Emily Elizabeth).

Age: 3.10 years

Nicknames: Maren is fortunate (or maybe unfortunate) to have many, many nicknames! When she was a baby we often called her "Mare Bear". When she first started to talk and before she could say Maren, she bestowed upon herself a nickname. . ."Meaner" (which is quite often very fitting). Most of the time we refer to her as "Mini" (other variations include "Little Mini" or "Min"), "Sister" or "Mare"

Favorite Activities: Maren, like many little girls, loves to play house with her dolls and stuffed animals. She is quite the nurturer (just ask Josh, who has become the "real life" subject of her "nurturing" much to his chagrin). She also enjoys playing dress up and doing hair with mommy. But that is only one side of Maren, she also enjoys a good romp in the dirt and is often the dirtiest after an afternoon of playing outside. She also loves to swim, color, ride her bike and read books.

Favorite Foods: Maren, much like mommy and Evan, has a sweet tooth and if it were up to her, she would likely eat candy, cookies and chocolate for every meal. Since she can't, she also enjoys homemade pizza and potato wedges, chicken enchiladas, fruit, spaghetti and salad.

Least Favorite Foods: Maren has recently decided that she is not a big fan of chili. She also doesn't care much for cream of wheat!

Favorite Music: Maren is a big fan of music. She loves to sing and she loves to dance. Her favorite songs include, "I am a Child of God," "I love to See the Temple," "The Hokey Pokey" and "One Step At A Time," by Jordin Sparks (I am convinced that she would be a Hannah Montana fan if she actually knew who Hannah Montana was). She also wants to learn how to play the piano like mommy and both of her grandma's.

Favorite Toys: Her absolute favorite toy at the moment is. . . . Joshua! But when he is not in the mood to be the object of her entertainment, she loves playing with her baby dolls and stuffed animals. She also LOVES her "bunnies" two identical lovies that she has had since birth. She doesn't go anywhere without them.

Favorite Book: Maren loves stories and would likely let you read to her all day long. Her favorite story at the moment is "The Dancing Jellybeans."

Favorite Item of Clothing: This changes weekly for Maren. At three years-old, she already loves clothes. This week's item of obsession is a pink/brown/orange striped, hooded dress with hot pink tights.

What Makes Her Happy: Maren loves getting to do things one-on-one with mommy and daddy. Candy and chocolate also bring a smile to her face. She loves to receive praise and also to give it. She also thinks it is pretty neat to help others (especially when helping involves cooking something yummy in the kitchen).

What Makes Her Sad: The word "No" generally turns her smile into a frown. She isn't a big fan of time out either!

All About Lukas


Name and Meaning: Lukas Robert Rieben. Lukas was a name that Richard and I both agreed we loved prior to getting married (possibly the ONLY name we both agreed on prior to getting married). There was never really a question that our first son would be Lukas and, with just 30 seconds on Jacob, he is! Lukas is named after three very important people in our lives, Richard's brother (Robert), my good friend and suedo big brother (Sean Robert) and my Uncle (Robert Christopher).

Age: 3.10 years

Nicknames: Lukas is also "fortunate" to be a victim of mommy's crazy nicknaming! While there are really too many to list here, some of the most common names you will hear Lukas called by are "Lukey Loo," "Toot head" (this is what Jacob, Maren and Evan refer to him as), "Toad" (or Toady), and "Loo" (also included in this category are "Loo Loo" and "Too").

Favorite Activities: Lukas is our comedian. He loves to make people laugh and is therefore always trying! Like many little boys, Lukas enjoys chasing his sister around the house, playing with sticks and covering himself from head to toe in dirt. He also enjoys reading, playing with cars/trucks and dressing up in pretty dresses. He can often be found making "dinner" in his play kitchen. He also loves to ride his bike, swing and play ball (any kind of ball really, although he has a special place in his heart for baseball and football).

Favorite Foods: Hands down, without question, Lukas' favorite food is chicken enchiladas. I am convinced that he could down an entire pan by himself! He also enjoys pancakes, homemade pizza, chocolate chip cookies, fruit and spaghetti.

Least Favorite Foods: Honestly, there really isn't much that Lukas doesn't like.

Favorite Music: Lukas also LOVES music. In fact, he is the child that I am most likely to find singing to himself when no one else is around (it is really sweet). His favorite songs are "I am a Child of God," "Families Can Be Together Forever," "I Love to See the Temple," "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam," "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "In the Leafy Treetops," "The Wheels on the Bus," "If You're Happy and you Know It," and "Give Said the Little Stream."

Favorite Toys: If given the option of playing with any toys, Lukas almost always chooses the play food and his play kitchen. He loves to pretend he is cooking. Also, anything that can be used as a sword, will be used as a sword (this includes sticks, mops/brooms, baby dolls, wooden spoons, toilet paper rolls, and empty containers). And although it is not necessarily a toy, his object of greatest affection is his "Agget" (a blanket made for him by his Grandma DD). Before he could say blanket, he said agget and it stucks. It is his most prized possession.

Favorite Book: Lukas LOVES to read. As with singing, he is also the child I am most likely to find sitting alone reading a book. He is really no respecter of books. He loves them all. Some of his favorites are "The Little Engine that Could," "The Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham," "Horten Hears A Who," and all books by Richard Scarry.

Favorite Item of Clothing: Socks. Lukas has awful eczema and has since he was about 4 months old. His feet are always itchy and so he wears his socks to help keep the scratching to a minimum. I think he is convinced that his socks have magic powers because he HAS to have socks morning, noon and night.

What Makes Him Happy: As previously stated, Lukas LOVES to make people laugh and when he is successful, it makes him happy. He also loves spending one-on-one time with mommy and daddy. He also loves to give and receive praise. He is happiest when he is doing the things he loves with him family.

What Makes Him Sad: Eczema and allergies make him miserable and like Maren, he also isn't a fan of the word, "No!"

All About Jacob


Name and Meaning: Jacob Craig Rieben. When we found out we were expecting triplets, we decided to come up with three names for girls and boys that we liked. Much easier said than done! Maren and Lukas were easy. We had already decided we liked those names. We discussed many different names and, although there were some that we liked and even some we agreed upon, none of them really seemed right. One day I was browsing a baby name site and the name Jacob suddenly lept off the page. I felt like I had just found the missing piece to a complicated puzzle and I knew that one of our children would be Jacob. When I was about 23 weeks pregnant I had a 4-D ultrasound and was able to "see" each of my babies. As I looked at the screen, I had a strong impression that "Baby B" was to be Lukas and "Baby C" was to be Jacob and, although we did not "know" these children yet, we knew that was exactly who each of them were meant to be! Jacob is named after Richard's father (Craig Leonard Rieben).

Age: 3.10 years

Nicknames: Jacob has one nickname that has evolved over time. It started off as "Jay" and quickly became "Jay Bird" (as in, naked as a Jay Bird). Most of the time we called him "Jay Jay" or "Bird" until one day when he came in from playing outside in a mud puddle. He was covered from head to toe in mud and so I jokingly called him "Dirty Bird." It stuck. I mean, REALLY, stuck. In fact, he actually introduces himself as "Dirty Bird" (I can only imagine what people think!). If you ask him what his name is, he will tell you "Dirty Bird." If you ask him what his nickname is, he will tell you "Jacob!"

Favorite Activities: Jacob LOVES to play board games. His favorites are "Candy Land" and "Memory Match." The child schools everyone at "Memory Match." He also loves, loves, LOVES cars, trucks and trains (especially Thomas the train). Like Lukas, he loves to play outside in the dirt, swim and play on the swings and at the playground. He also loves to read.

Favorite Foods: If Jacob could eat peanut butter and jelly for every meal, he would! He also loves homemade pizza, chicken enchiladas, pancakes, fruit (especially watermelon and strawberries) and chocolate chip cookies.

Least Favorite Foods: Like Evan, he is really not a fan of grilled cheese, although he will eat it if that is the only thing offered. He also doesn't care for cream of wheat.

Favorite Music: Jacob is another lover of music. Like his siblings he loves, "I Am a Child of God," "Families Can Be Together Forever," "I Love to See the Temple," "Give Said the Little Stream," "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "The Hokey Pokey," "If You're Happy and You Know it," "Do As I'm Doing," "Going on a Bear Hunt," and he has a special place in his heart for Daniel Beddingfield ("James Dean" and "Gotta Get Through This") and "Shake It," by Metro Station.

Favorite Toys: Cars, trains, and trucks are always at the top of Jacob's list! Jacob also has a wonderful imagination and can pretend that anything is anything! He loves anything that he can pretend is a car, truck, train or a sword. His prized possession is his "Scratchy B" (a blue blanket that is silky on one side and soft on the other. . .he has two of them and he refers to them as "Scratchy" and "Rubby". . .he prefers scratchy).

Favorite Book: Jacob also LOVES books! Some of his favorites are "The Little Engine that Could," anything about Thomas the Tank Engine, anything by Richard Scarry, "Green Eggs and Ham," "The Cat in the Hat," and "Horton Hears a Who."

Favorite Item of Clothing: His pajamas because it means it is time for bed! Jacob likes to sleep. By the time naps and bedtime roll around, he is ready to rest and he always lets us know. Sometimes he will tell me in the morning, which pajamas he would like to wear that night! The kids loves his PJ's!

What Makes Him Happy: Jacob is a happy guy and it doesn't take much to make him smile! As long as he is doing the things he loves with people that he loves, he is generally happy!

What Makes Him Sad: Jacob is a sensitive guy and gets his feelings hurt easily. When others don't share with him or when someone is angry of upset with him, it makes him sad. He also gets upset when he is tired or can't find his "B."

All About Joshua


Name and Meaning: Joshua Steve Ortyk Rieben. Joshua was born as Ortyk Farhod Hanazarov. Joshua was a name that both Richard and I liked and could agree upon. The meaning of the name Joshua is "God is my salvation" and we wanted Joshua to know where to look for all that he would need throughout his life. We also wanted to name him after someone he would look up to and so we chose to name him after my grandfather, Steve Hamilton. My grandpa (we called him Big Dad) was one of my heroes. He accomplished many things throughout the course of his life and he did it through his drive and determination. We knew that Joshua would have many obstacles to face throughout the course of his life and knew that the example of his name sake would help him to know that he could achieve whatever he set his mind to. Like Evan, we chose to keep the name Ortyk since it was the name his birth mother had given him and we wanted him to choose whether or not he wanted to keep that part of his heritage rather than make that decision ourselves.

Age: 1.10 years

Nicknames: Joshua is also lucky enough to have received many nicknames! Some of the most commonly heard nicknames are, "Baby Josh," "Baby," "Little Man," "Joshie," "Little One" or "Tiny One" (or sometimes just "One").

Favorite Activities: Joshua could play with a ball for HOURS! He loves to play catch and what we like to call "fetch." In fact, "ball" was one of his first, distinguishable, words! When he is not throwing balls or chasing after them, he loves to be outside. He loves to swing, play with cars/trucks and he also enjoys reading. His favorite thing is to follow the other kids around the house and to help them in their mischief.

Favorite Foods: Joshua is no respecter of food! This kid loves to eat! Some of his favorites are pancakes, chicken enchiladas, homemade pizza, chicken/broccoli casserole, chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Least Favorite Foods: Like many toddlers, he isn't a big fan of vegetables and generally boycotts most of them (but don't worry, mommy is a master at hiding veggies in other foods he loves!).

Favorite Music: Although Joshua is not doing much singing yet, he loves to listen to the rest of us sing. His absolutely favorite songs are "Wheels on the Bus" and "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree."

Favorite Toys: Balls, balls and more balls! He also enjoys cars and trucks, but that is only when he doesn't have a ball to play with!

Favorite Book: Joshua loves to look at books with pictures of other babies. He will sit and listen to a book with the other kids, but he much prefers sitting on the floor with his board books and looking through the pictures by himself. Often, when it is unusually quite, I will find Joshua sitting by himself, "reading" his books.

Favorite Item of Clothing: His favorite things to wear are his prosthetic leg and his shoe! Seriously, he HATES taking them off and when they are off, he will crawl around until he finds them and will bring them to me to put them on. Sometimes I will even find him trying to put them on himself! Such a funny little man!

What Makes Him Happy: Joshua is a happy guy and his smile just makes me melt! This child can get away with murder! Joshua is always happy as long as he is well-fed and well-rested. . .and there is a ball to play with! He loves playing with his siblings and always loves a good snuggle with mommy and daddy!

What Makes Him Sad: When he is hungry or tired, watch out!!! He also isn't very fond of having to come inside when play time is over or when he gets trampled by his hyperactive siblings.