Ups and Downs

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've written about language learning, at least I think it has, but this subject is never far from my mind.  Lately I've had some encouragement in my learning.  But I am always amazed at how I can be encouraged in one aspect or one conversation and turn around and be completely lost in the next conversation that I have (and when I say completely lost, I mean COMPLETELY LOST, having absolutely no idea what is going on).

First one of the "Ups":  

For example, my friend Luda has been a big help in my language learning.  Most recently she said that I should start a Russian journal and use at least 5 new words that I am trying to learn as I write about my day.  At the end of the day we will talk on the phone about my day, giving me a chance to then verbally practice these words.  This will be a big help I think.  I was actually able to talk ON THE PHONE for over 10 minutes!  I told her about my day, then she told me about her day, and I was understandable and understood her!  I feel quite excited about this accomplishment and look forward to continuing the practice.

And here's a couple of "Downs":

Then, I go to the store to buy groceries for a few days (hopefully) and the cashier says something to me that I can not begin to comprehend.  Nope, not a clue.  I can't even try to describe the situation by the context or her body language or anything.  

(And another) 

I'm riding on the tramvai after my lesson the other day, and an older lady gets on and begins fussing at the conductor for not wiping off the wet seats.  When she finished her scolding, she turned to me and began talking.  Now the tramvai is not a quiet, restful way to travel.  The tramvai is quite loud, which makes communication even in my own language a challenge.  So this babushka is telling me something in Russian, and I'm trying to understand, but at last I have to pull out the old trusty phrases like, "I'm sorry, I don't understand because I am studying Russian.  I've only been studying for about 5 months."  Then she asks me where I came from, but because of all the traveling noise, I don't get it.  On her 3rd try, I finally realize what she wants to know.  "Oh, I'm from America; I'm an American."  This revelation brought questions as to my opinion on what was going on in Kosovo!  "Um, I don't know what to think.  What do you think?", seemed the safest response.  Then I was just able to sit and listen in complete lack of comprehension to her tell me what she thought about Kosovo.  I also heard the word "parastroika" in there somewhere, too, but I have no idea why.

From the tramvai we went to the metro where I was briefly separated from the babushka.  When she saw me again she linked arms with me and said something like "Ah, my American".  Somehow we got separated in the crowd pushing and shoving to get on the escalator, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Who knows, maybe someday I'll be able to understand a complete stranger while using a means of transportation that has the sound of a rumbling, squeaky herd of water buffalo; but I'm not holding my breath, and neither should you--but you should keep praying!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Today is a special day because it's my grandpa's birthday, and he's  a special guy.

My grandpa has taught me lots of things like how to chase HUGE pigs away so they won't eat the fish you just caught; how to "pick" potatoes; that strawberries taste really good on mashed potatoes; that coconut cakes or pies are just as good as chocolate ones (though I might need a little more convincing on that one); how to drive a tractor and bale hay; how to be willing to change as you grow; and how to love quietly and consistently and loyally, though he would say "tolerate" instead of "love".

Grandpa has taught me lots of things that I will always remember and that I hope that I can teach Isaiah.  Grandpa's already taught Isaiah how to enjoy a good waffle!

I love you, Grandpa!  Happy Birthday!

Who Are You?

So there's this quiz available on the internet that tells you which Jane Austen character you are. I don't usually go for these types of things (there are a TON on facebook), but I was slightly curious this time. I followed the link from a friend's blog and took the quiz. If you are familiar with the more popular Austen books, then you could probably figure out which of the multiple choice answers would lead to which of the possible characters. Despite the slight predictability (to me anyway), I found the quiz enjoyable and thought that I would pass the opportunity on to anyone here who would like to take it. Maybe it's the therapist in me, but I think it's always good to try to know yourself better, just don't get too caught up in making strict comparisons to literary characters-don't sell yourself short or box yourself in.

And by the way,

If that means anything to you, great. If not, that's OK, too. I told Thomas that he now needed to watch Sense and Sensibility with me to learn more about me, and he said, "You want me to watch Sense and Pridability or Pride and Prejubility?" somewhat incredulously. He then asked for drugs to endure the movie. I'm still hoping that he'll more willing subject himself to what I think are really great movies.

And just in case you are interested...Take the quiz for yourself.

Hope you have a splendidly wonderful day!

Snow AND SUN!

We are so excited to finally, FINALLY have a few days of sunshine!  We even still have snow as well, which makes everything twice as beautiful.  Here's a little video of family time in the park-so much fun-wish y'all could enjoy it with us!

Who'd Have Thought?

Just watch and be amazed!

A friend sent this to Thomas, and we really enjoyed it. Who knows what
God has in store for our Little Man!
Please pray that we will encourage him to do all that God
will enable him to do!

Ok, That's Better

Well, I think that I've decided that having a good snow can help make up for not having as much sun--although we have had a couple days during which we were quite excited to see the sun! We were able to enjoy some wonderful family time in the park near our apartment. I'm not sure who had more fun, Isaiah getting pulled around on his new sled, or Thomas and I as we pulled him around and ran around a little bit ourselves.

Here are some pics from our fun:

Faster, Daddy!

I think he liked it

Again! Go back up, Mama!

Isaiah got a little covered in the quickly falling snow, which didn't seem to matter one bit!

And in honor of our wonderful snow, I've decided that a white blog page can be just as cheerful and bright as obnoxious green. Hope the white is a little easier on your eyes than bright green.

First Playdate in Russia

The Lord has blessed us with some great friends in Russia.  We are really excited that some of our new friends also have children!  Isaiah and I enjoyed a wonderful day earlier this week with our new friend Lydia and her mommy Danielle.  The two kiddos enjoyed playing, sometimes actually with each other!  It was so much fun watching them and getting to know Danielle better.  We hope to make this a somewhat regular activity, if there is such a thing in Russia.

Taking a break from playing catch to just sit and play and pose

Lydia worked really hard to show Isaiah how to color

And Isaiah was a good audience, but he wasn't quite into coloring yet

Lydia and her sweet mommy Danielle

This was Isaiah sneaking a glance at Lydia

I Just Can't Take it Any More!

Ok, for the first time in my life I find myself wishing for warmer weather.  But it's not really that I want warmer weather so much as that I'm really missing the SUN!  (although I do look forward to not having to be so bundled up all the time and taking 30 minutes of bundling alone just to get Isaiah and me ready to head out the door) Before moving to Russia I never really minded overcast weather so much, even for long periods of time, but I think I've about reached my limit.  We haven't seen the sun for more than 2 consecutive days since either late October or early November.  I don't think that I'm exaggerating this.  So, I'm doing what I can to brighten things up a bit in my little corner of blogdom.

Don't worry, I'm sure that I'll get over the obnoxiously bright green soon and settle on something a little softer to the eyes.

Two Years and One Week

After the "burst of blogging" that I had before Isaiah's birthday, I needed a little bit of a break. Not being an overly creative person, I was somewhat depleted of ideas.  But, I do want to share with everyone how we celebrated Isaiah's 2nd birthday, twice.

On his actual birthday (02/06 or as the Russians would write it 06/02, which definitely takes getting used to) we had a special dinner.  Aunt Luda's birthday had been the day before, so we invited her for our special family dinner.  We had really yummy hamburgers and french fries--a nice American meal for an American's birthday.  Isaiah seemed to really enjoy it.  But I think that he enjoyed his birthday cake (which, incidentally, was actually a pie) even more.  We only gave him a few very small bites, but with the sugar from the pie and the excitement of the evening, he was awake until 11pm!  We learned our lesson!  He wasn't fussing while he was awake; he just couldn't go to sleep.  Oh well.  We'll know better next time.

Aunt Luda and Isaiah with their gifts.  Aunt Luda gave him a really great book that makes animal noises.  Isaiah helped me pick out the hat that Luda's wearing as her birthday gift.  He really did, I'm not elaborating or embellishing the facts.

Isaiah was pretty excited about this pie, I think...

I LOVE this picture.  Be sure to notice how Isaiah has his arm wrapped around his daddy's neck to pull him closer--this was not prompted, all Isaiah's idea!

One of the few bites of the pie

And finally, he was asleep

Saturday (02/09) we had a larger party to celebrate Little Man's big day.  We had such a good time!  I fixed lasagna for the first time since being here, and thankfully it turned out really well.  I even had requests for the recipe from our Russian guests.  Naturally we had an international group:  Galina Ivanovna (Thomas' language teacher); Ludmilla Zaharovna (my teacher) and her husband Valeri Alexi; Aunt Luda; Aunt Deanna (from PA); Uncle Trevor (from Ireland); Aaron, Danielle and Lydia Miner (also from PA).  Lydia will be 2 in May, and one of the highlights of the night was enjoying watching Isaiah and Lydia play together.  (more of that to come in the future!)  We enjoyed our supper, sat around and talked while the 2 kids played some, had some tea and really yummy chocolate cake, then Isaiah got to open a few presents.  He got tons of books, which are always a good idea.  He also got a guitar from us.  As soon as he opened the guitar, he didn't want to do anything else.  He wouldn't let it out of his hands the rest of the evening!

Isaiah and his aunts hanging out before the rest of the guests arrive

Playing with Lydia--they were both so sweet!

Lydia was a big help giving Isaiah rides on his motorcycle

Then Isaiah had so much fun chasing Lydia.  She would run ahead of him then turn around and laugh and say his name, and he would take off after her!

Isaiah with my teacher and her husband:  Ludmilla Zaharovna and Valeri Alexi

After he opened the beloved guitar

Isaiah still didn't quite understand how to blow out candles, so I helped him out (I wanted cake!).  Maybe next year he'll get it.

And this has to be my favorite picture from the whole evening.  I loved being able to watch Isaiah play with someone his size.  And Lydia is such a sweet one for him to play with.  Thank God for friends--all ages and sizes.

So that was the celebration time.  We had so much fun.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been a few extra bodies crammed into our apartment--maybe next year!

Need a Valentine's Date? Here's an Option

I must confess that I've never been a real big Valentine's Day celebrator.  Thomas and I have only once celebrated the day, and it was actually quite by chance.  But, I know lots of people who enjoy doing something special on that special day, and I think that's great!

One of my friends from college, Charity Trahms McMullin, who is quite talented herself, married a talented man (Shane) who is now working in the film industry.  He's already worked on at least 3 films that I know of, and one of them just happens to be opening on Valentine's weekend. 

Me & You, Us Forever will be premiering on February 15th in selected cities.  To see if it will be available in a theater near you, click here.  You can also see a trailer or read a summary of the movie. When I checked out the site, I was encouraged to read that the writer/director of the movie is a Christian, and the main character of the movie is a Christian.  The director also states that there is not any sex or even a hint of sex in the movie.

While I won't be able to see the movie in theaters, for some reason it hasn't quite made it to Russia, I think if we were in the States, this would be a movie worth seeing; that is if I could get Thomas to go to what he might call a "girly movie" since it is a love story.  Maybe somebody I know can go see it and let me know more.  I think it would be a great Valentine's Day date!

7 Random Things About Me

My friend Erin tagged me to write  post with 7 random things about me.  This was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Normally I tell people about other people, like Isaiah or Thomas.  I could tell you tons of random things about those two!  But here's my attempt:

1. I can't stand an unmade bed (thank you mom).  When I was single, I would literally get out of bed, go take care of some personal necessities then immediately come back and make my bed.  This has been harder to do since becoming a wife and then a mother, but I think that just about every day I have made the bed.  I just think that a bedroom looks much less cluttered when the bed is made.
2. Besides making the bed, I have to brush my teeth right away.  Even before coffee, which my husband just can't fathom.  
3. I love baking.  I like baking from scratch as much as possible.  I think that pies are becoming my favorite (I think about my grandma a lot when I make pies.  In fact I have her pastry cutter.).  But I just like starting with the flour and sugar and everything.  I also have to put flour on my nose whenever I'm baking.  It really does help.
4. A lot of my friends already know this, but since age 4 or so, I've been enjoying strawberries on my mashed potatoes.  If you want to know more, just ask.  Or you could ask my grandpa.
5. I really like flowers.  If I could, I would have fresh flowers in my house all the time.  One of my favorite things about the Jane Austen type movies (gotta love some Pride and Prejudice) is how the women are often out in the garden and making flower arrangements.  Not that I'm a great gardener or anything, that was my grandmother!  Daisies are my favorite flower.
6. I DO NOT like mushrooms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If they are served to me, I can manage to get a few down, but they would definitely not be requested at my last meal.
7. I love to dance.  Some of my favorite memories are dancing with my Uncle Wallace at the officer's club at Ft. Monroe when my mom and I would visit him and Aunt Flo.  I started with him holding me up in his arms, then I graduated to the point that I could do a pretty good little jig--nothing fancy, but lots of fun.  Isaiah is now my main dancing partner, and we swing to the best--Goodman, Miller, Bassie, etc.

Ok, so there it is.   I'm not really that random of a person, though my thoughts are really random at times (just ask Thomas!) my life is pretty regular, and I actually like having a schedule.  So, I pass on this pleasure to a friend that I'd like to get to know a little better:  Carrie; an "old college roommate":  Janelle (that doesn't mean in any way that she is old, but since we have been out of college quite a few years, I think I can use that expression now); and a hopeful thinker:  Guitta.  Have fun girls!  I look forward to getting to know all of you a little bit better.

P.S.  I hope to show some pics from Isaiah's celebrations soon, but I have to narrow down all the really adorable photos. :)

Come and See What the Lord has Done

Two years ago today our Little Man changed our lives.  He got the name "Little Man" because when he was born and during his hospital stay, he just didn't have any baby fat on him and he looked like a man and not a baby.  The nickname stuck, even after he started putting on some pounds, and I really like it.

The first time I saw him was a picture that Thomas took of him in the NICU because I wasn't allowed to go down for myself for several hours.  I was supposed to be sleeping, but you can imagine how little sleep I got.  The moment the time changed to 11pm, I was trying to get out of bed to go see my baby.

I'll never forget how he looked and felt and smelled.  We couldn't hold him yet, but we gently touched him as much as we could.  I remember being afraid to touch him too much because I didn't want to hurt him.  The next few weeks held surgeries and recovery and finally going home.

There's so much that I could tell you about the last 2 years, even just the last year or the last few months, but I think that these pictures can speak volumes on their own.  I praise God for sustaining us and providing for us and being gracious to us and blessing us.  I thank God for Isaiah.  I pray for many more wonderful years with him.  I pray to be a godly mother for him.  I pray that God will help Isaiah to love Him with all of his heart and soul and mind and strength.

See what the Lord has done...

Two for One

Ok, normally, I wouldn't put 2 videos on one post, especially about something that I've already posted about, but I just couldn't resist, so I hope you don't mind; and if you do mind, well, nobody will force you to watch, but you'll miss out on something really special! The first video was taken last Thursday, and you can see Isaiah sit pretty well, supporting himself with his hands and transitioning to his crawling position.

In this second video, well, just watch and see the balancing difference from a Thursday to a Monday! We are so excited! Praise God for how He is working in our Little Man!

Give Me a Smooch!

Usually Isaiah is on the receiving end of kisses.  He seems to really enjoy them, too because he's started pulling my face towards his cheek or forehead for me to kiss him over and over again.  He does give kisses, though not as often as I would like, of course.  Most of the time he blows me kisses, which is also really cute.  He also blows kisses to people on the metro or in stores or in the park or walking on the street.  What can I say--he's a really loving Little Man.

And here he is mid-pucker!

The Body of Christ

Just so you know, this post is taking a break from highlighting Isaiah's wonderfulness.  I've had something on my mind that I wanted to share, and Sunday seemed a good day.

In the last week I've had the opportunity to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep" though from a distance.  Even from thousands of miles away, the Lord has granted me wonderful friendships, some old, some new, some developing.  I am thankful for the testimony of both the families that I am going to tell you about, though their situations have outcomes at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Both families cling to the power of our great God and Father.  And while is rejoicing over recovery and one weeps in loss they both rejoice in faith.

When we found out Isaiah was going to be named Isaiah and not Anna or Grace or Victoria, or some other girly name, we also found out that he had spina bifida.  Immediately we were wrapped in the loving arms of many friends and family.  We also were contacted by many strangers with words of comfort and encouragement.  One of the families that contacted us were The Nelsons.  They also have a daughter with spina bifida.  Emily is a beautiful about-to-be 3 year old.  When Isaiah was born, Anna, Emily's mother, came to the hospital to see us.  I hadn't contacted her while I was pregnant, for a variety of personal reasons, but meeting her and sweet Emily was an amazing gift from God!  Since that time she has been an encouragement to me, a sounding board for questions and concerns, a counselor for many different things.  

In November her father was diagnosed with cancer and had to have an intensive surgery very quickly.  Until just a couple weeks ago, he has been in a coma.  We were able to pray with Anna from a distance and beg for God's wisdom and mercy and know that He would do what is best.  The situation was serious, but throughout everything, I could see, or rather read, Anna's faith in God.  Just in the past 2 weeks, Anna's dad was stable enough to be moved from Birmingham, AL back to Jackson, MS, where Anna and her family live!  He is talking and even has started eating on his own.  In what looked like certain loss, God is giving recovery.  Anna's dad still has a long way to go, but he is doing very well!  We rejoice with Anna and her family!

In California there is a church that Thomas, Isaiah and I have never been to.  Several of the elders read Thomas' theological satire blog.  As we were raising support to come to Russia, one of the elders contacted us about different ways that the church would like to help in our ministry, and as time went on a relationship developed and the church now supports us financially.  Though we have never been there to meet this body of believers face to face, a couple of the women have contacted me through email; and, I hope, our new friendships are developing.  One of the women, Heather, is a mother of 6 beautiful children.  In "all her spare time" she writes a blog, which I greatly enjoy reading.  For the past few months her husband had been having health problems, though he was very young.  We have been praying for the family since Heather first emailed me and I started reading her blog, where I learned about her husband's health problems.  No matter what was going on in her family, Heather's posts revealed her steady faith in God.  Last week, her husband went home to be with the Lord, and while I read the news on her blog, though I had never met this woman or any of her family or anyone that she knows, I wept.  I hope to meet Heather and her children some day on earth, and I know that I will meet her husband some day in heaven.  Perhaps someone who knows this family will read this post, and I hope that my writing about them in no way seems inappropriate.  But I am in awe of God's design of His church, He enables a girl most recently from MS now living in Russia to weep and pray for a sister in Christ whom she has never met in CA.  I have learned from Heather by reading her blog.  I am thankful for this sister that I hope to meet some day.

And switching gears just slightly....I know that there are lots of problems in the church at large-there are people in the church who aren't fully sanctified yet, so of course there are problems!  But as I mentioned already, I love how God has designed for His body to live.  I want to be the brother or sister that He has called me to be.  I am thankful that we can rejoice and grieve with each other because we are together in Christ no matter how far apart we are on the globe.

Communication Skills

Isaiah isn't talking a whole lot, which amazingly hasn't really bothered me.  He does say a few things, some in English and some in Russian.  Maybe my lack of concern is because of his apparent understanding of everything that is going on around him.  For instance, Thomas' Russian teacher can tell Isaiah to do something in Russian, and he will do it.  I can tell him to do something in English, and he will do it exactly right.

  

And then there's what he "tells" me.

   

For example, Isaiah is the only person in attendance at our church under the age of 10 every week.  We stand for a long time in the beginning, so I try to have Isaiah stay in his stroller as long as possible (he's getting pretty heavy!).  He can usually stay content in his stroller through about the first 1/4 of the sermon, then he really needs a change of scene, however slight.  On this particular Sunday, Isaiah did very well throughout the whole service, sitting between me and Aunt Luda.  As the choir sang their song at the end of the service before the pastor has final prayer and pronounces the benediction, Isaiah declared that he needed to be in my lap.  Then he decided that it was time to go.  How do I know this?  He reached over to his stroller where I had left my hat.  He very deliberately grabbed my hat and thrust it into my face, as if to say, "Come on, Mama!  I think it's time to go outside."

Another funny example of his comprehension of things:  While we were in Germany, my mom bought Isaiah a toy camera because he always wanted to hold one of our cameras if he saw them.  Now that we're home, Isaiah will go to his toy box, find his camera, crawl to me and give me the camera.  "Do you want me to take your picture?" I ask.  He nods "yes" very excitedly and says, "Uh huh".  He then proceeds to pose for the camera with really sweet smiles and turning his head from one side the other.  

I wish that I had a picture of these interactions somehow.  But, of course, that would be a little hard to obtain; one is in church and the other involves me holding a photo shoot with a toy camera.  And these are just small examples of how Isaiah very clearly communicates to his daddy and me.  He definitely knows what he wants and has no trouble telling us.  Usually he tells us fairly sweetly, too.

Night Night

Isaiah's bedtime has become a very special family time.  We all sit on the bed in our room (yes, here we share a room, but thankfully Isaiah does have his own bed), and we read a short passage of scripture and pray together.  As soon as "Amen" is pronounced, Isaiah starts to get excited.  It didn't take long for him to learn that after family worship time came special snuggle time with Daddy.  The last few nights he has literally thrown himself at Thomas, and I had to hold him back because Thomas was in transition from sitting to lying down.

First they snuggle and squeeze, then Isaiah starts his attempts to get Daddy's tongue.  He tries to fake Daddy out by pretending he's actually interested in the ear, but soon his true motives become clear.  My favorite part is when he tries to entice Daddy to stick out his tongue by showing Daddy his own tongue.  Somehow, Daddy always manages to pull his tongue back into his mouth just in the nick of time.  Maybe someday...

Starting out with those sweet hugs

Really, Daddy, all I want is your ear...see, like my ear

Almost got it that time!

One last squeeze!

Out/In

Isaiah is very good at pulling things out of bags or boxes or suitcases or anything that might have an opening.  For a while I've been working with him on putting things inside the bag or box or well, you get the idea.

Well, we've been able to add an element to our evening routine.  Every night just before supper is ready, he sits on his motorcycle and helps me clean up his toys by putting them in his toy box.  He does a really good job, too, hardly ever missing the mark. 

I'm not sure how to say what I want to say about his accomplishments without sounding negative about his condition, but I also want people to realize how hard he works and how much God has enabled him to do.  The reason he hasn't been able to perfect this skill earlier as most children do is because the way that he's most mobile is on his tummy; and well, try moving around on your stomach, picking up an object and lifting it several inches above your head and putting it into a box while also maintaining your balance and not rolling over onto your back.  Now that he can be sitting on his motorcycle, this job is much easier!  It has also given me another opportunity to teach him obedience and praise him for his hard work and obedience.  I love "catching him doing good" as one of my professors always told us to do.

All right, Mama, let's clean!

Looking over a job well done!  Now, let's eat!

Thanks, E!

My new header is thanks to one of my many creative friends.  Check out her work at EBS Designs.  Thanks for helping us celebrate Isaiah's birthday in a new, creative way, E!