A Party

While the Russian world around us had not a clue as to what was going on, we had a Christmas Caroling party at our place the Friday before Christmas.  And we had fun!

We ate yummy food...

...the kids played...

...the bigger kids did a white elephant gift exchange...

...the gift she picked was funny...

...see, I told you so.

Thomas considered a career change.

We sang carols.

We celebrated my friend's birthday with chocolate cake.

We were all happy.  And it felt like Christmas.

The Latest Christmas Post Ever...

...is still on its way.

First I just had to show you this:

That would be my shadow!  Do you know why you can see my shadow falling over the pretty white snow?  BECAUSE WE HAD SUN!

We think it's been about 6 weeks since we've seen this beautiful site.  Isaiah and I spent as much time outside in the cold sunshine as we could.  The sun shone down it's lovely gold for the whole day and part of the next morning.  Thank you God!

What a Guy!

After reading my post about displaying my College Bowl Game record in our little competition, my Dad sent me his picks, so that I could include his record on my sidebar once I learn the game results.  Isn't that the sign of  a great dad to join in on the extended fun!

And on a side note...I do plan on posting some about our Christmas, but we're still relaxing a bit and taking a break from normal activities such as blogging in order to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, which I also plan to write about later.

I hope your New Year's preparations are half as fun as ours over here in St. P!  I'll be back later...

Until Then...

Hello my dear family and friends.  I have so many things that I want to post about right now, but quite the lack of energy, so I'm going to go ahead and wish you a Merry Christmas now and say see you in a little while.

I hope that you all get to be with people that you love this holiday season, and even more I hope that we get to see some of you in January when we go to the States for our whirlwind 3 week tour.

Thank you all for reading and sending encouragement and love our way!

Merry Christmas!

The Most Wonderful Time of Year...

...COLLEGE BOWL SEASON!

Ok, I'm kidding, but I do really like College Bowl Games.  Every year my dad and I have a little contest in picking the games.  It's a great deal...If I win, then he buys me a prize; if he wins, then he has the honor of buying me a gift.  (see, no gambling involved)

We are so excited to be able to actually watch some bowl games again this year.  My smart husband found ESPN 360 Europe.  We were able to sign up for just a month, which is perfect.  We've already watched 2 games and have almost finished a 3rd.  It's great because you can watch archived games.  I love football, but come on, I've got an almost 3 year old, I don't need to be getting up at 2am just to watch football.

I'm not doing so well in my picks thus far, but at least I have a good excuse:  American College Football doesn't exactly get airtime in Russia.  Since I really have no idea what's going on, I just pick who I want to win.

But in an endeavor to prove that this really is for fun and not about winning, I think I'll put a widget on the sidebar with my running total.  Yeah, I'm into public humiliation at the moment.  But who knows?  My picks could come through for me in the end.

Tot School

This week we started on the letter C. I say started because C is for COLD, which is what Mama has had all week and is still recovering from.  Therefore, my energy was the pits, and my voice was non-existent for a few days.  Near the end of the week, Isaiah caught my cold, despite lots of effort to prevent such a circumstance.  So here's what we did for Tot School this week:

C is for Camera, Calculator, Cat in the Hat, Counting and CARS!

So that's what went into Isaiah's Discovery Cabinet this week.  He seems to really enjoy being able open it up and pull out whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

C is for CHRISTMAS COOKIES!

Isaiah really likes our new cookie sheets.  I like the fact that they are bright green and bright blue on the outside.  That doesn't make the cookies taste any better, but it's just fun.

We searched and searched and searched for cookie cutters.  Finally Thomas made us some!

Isaiah even decorated a cookie with some sprinkles.  The sprinkles were really hard to pick up, even for me, so we gave him another project:

He did a great job moving the coconut from the yellow bowl to the green bowl!  He kept showing me his green bowl and how much fuller it was, which of course brought great praise.

C is for Color

We tried painting with brushes this week.  Isaiah seemed to like it better than crayons.  I had further plans for this project, but well, I was wiped out, so the "C" has been glued to another piece of paper and awaits further fun.

I think that Isaiah was just as interested in the little containers that the paint is in, but that starts with C, too; which I'm sure he realizes.

One of our favorite books is Corduroy thanks to our friends the Notts who sent us a copy.  Here's Isaiah reading.  I must confess that I love this picture, the way that he's concentrating.  I tried to get a picture of more of his face, but then he started posing.

Check out the other Tot Schools at 1+1+1=1.  And Merry Christmas!

Snack Time with Little Man

Here's how it goes:

Right hand:  granola bar  Left hand:  1/2 of a chocolate chip cookie

Excitement

Bite of cookie

Bite of granola bar

 Drink.  Repeat.

When a Want Becomes a Need

A couple weeks ago Isaiah and I went to the post office to pick up a package.  We were excited--Isaiah because it takes 30 minutes to walk to the post office, which pretty much guarantees him an hour OUTSIDE; me because who doesn't love getting packages?!

It was snowing.  It was beautiful.  I decided to take a new route to make things a little more interesting.  This was part of the way that I went:

You probably can't tell, but under that snow is nothing but mud.  Did you know that snow and mud make something akin to quicksand?  I know that now.  And there was no sidewalk this direction, which I also know now.

After traversing this miry muck for about 20 minutes, I took a break at a bus stop:

Yeah, Isaiah was just as happy as he could be and laughing at my flushed face.

We trekked on the remaining distance and made it to the post office and picked up our coveted package.  Then we went home the normal way!

Thomas called while I was navigating the stroller over the snow and ice.  "My feet are cold and soaked, but I do have the package!"  

My sweet husband told me to go get new boots...I had been wanting some, so it worked out pretty well, I'd say.

(oh yeah, that last picture is what my socks looked like after I got home and peeled them off my feet)

Health

3rd week of November 2007; February 6, 2008

I want to praise God that these were the last dates since Isaiah had a UTI and a seizure, respectively.  Yesterday Thomas and I were reminded of the goodness and grace of God for over a year without a UTI and about 10 months without a seizure.

Thank you, Lord for taking care of our son!  Thank you for doctors that have given us their email and phone numbers (some even their home numbers!) for us to contact them while we are so far away.  Thank you for friends who pick up and send us meds from the States that are provided through insurance.  Thank you that we can find some meds here when necessary.  Thank you that our second year in Russia has not had the medical drama that our first six months did!  Thank you for helping us to learn to trust you more completely as you teach us and show us your faithfulness.  Please continue to help us trust and rest in you.

Tot School

As I looked through the pictures from this week, I realized that we had accomplished more than I remembered!

B is for Bows

As I was decorating some packages that we received in the mail, I suddenly realized that we could sort the bows by color, so we did!  Then I saw the same idea, but much better planned on this site.

B is for Books, Boxes, Bottles, Balls, Bears, Big Bird, Bead

On the same site, I had previously read about making a discovery box.  We modified the idea a bit by having a discovery cabinet.  Isaiah already enjoys opening this cabinet and pulling out a sewing book that I have.  So to add to the fun, I filled the bottom shelf with all kinds of things that start with B.

B is for Books about Bears

Or any book, really.  Isaiah LOVES to read books by himself or with anyone who will read with him.  Somehow we've collected several books about bears, which worked well for our focus on B.

B is for Bumble Bee

In one of our bear books I Love You, Daddy, 

 Little Bear gathers honey with Daddy Bear.  At first Little Bear is frightened by the buzzing of the bees, but then Daddy Bear reminds him that he bees can't hurt him because of his thick fur.  This is one of Isaiah's favorite books, and mine, too!  We attempted paints for the first time in order to try to make a Bumble Bee, of sorts.

Patting down the letter B after I glued it on our new paper (which for some reason didn't come with black paper, oh well, at least brown starts with a B, too)!

Checking out the q-tip covered with paint

And our finished project, with almost as much paint that was on Isaiah :)

And we continued to read our Advent Scriptures and sing the songs that Thomas has picked out for us.  The stars are finally low enough that Isaiah can help us cover them up!  We had to be on a step-stool before, and I wasn't brave enough to hold him and try to put up a star.  He's such a good helper!

There will be more posts about lots of learning on 1+1+1=1, if you'd like to see some other ideas!

Thank You! Thank You!

To our dear family and friends,

We feel so loved!  Thank you so much for the love that you have sent our way in the form of packages for Christmas.  I am inadequate to properly thank you; this really doesn't seem sufficient; but I thought that not saying enough was better than not saying anything, so here is my attempt.

We have picked up several boxes from the post office as of late, and underneath our little tree (and stuffed into our drawers in the kitchen!) are such treats that we didn't think we would ever see in Russia.  We know that sending packages here is not easy or cheap, and we thank you very much for your time in shopping, packaging and sending a tangible form of your love to us.  We look forward to loving on you when we get to see you again--Isaiah gives great kisses and hugs these days!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (as would be the Russian preferred holiday)!  Please hug each other for us; or if your too manly for that, a good sturdy handshake and rough pats on the back will work, too. 

The Sock Game

Isaiah has a new game.  Can you guess what it is?

Tot School

For Tot School this week, I decided to continue with A and Red, since last week was short with Thanksgiving and all.

Monday, however, was Russian day.  Isaiah's nanny Julia was able to come again at last!  She doesn't speak English, and we're hoping that Isaiah is picking up his Russian from her and our other Russian friends so that he doesn't learn our mistakes or our accents!  I joined them for snack time after their walk (this gives me some great practice, too!), and I was excited to see them interacting so well.  Julia would tell Isaiah to do something very specific, and he would obey perfectly!  What a smart boy I have--already becoming bilingual!

Tuesday we again combined therapy and school.  We (I) named things with "A".  Isaiah liked the pictures that I had prepared for him to color, he pointed to them and said "all done" very clearly after he wore them as hats.  

He still likes to color on his clothes more than any paper, so thankfully the crayons wash out very well. :)

We tried something new to help work on his fine motor skills since coloring isn't too interesting, apparently.  We have some colorful plastic cups that are great for stacking, or for talking into to make your voice sound funny, which is obviously the more important thing to do!

Wednesday we had a shopping date!  We bought Daddy a Christmas present, and Isaiah was a big help as we wheeled through the store.  He helped soften up the cashiers so that they were nicer to me.  We strolled through IKEA (gotta love it!) and pointed out all the "A" things like alligators and armchairs and art supplies and some other things that I forget now.  But, we scored a major find--the closest thing to construction paper that I've seen in Russia!  Woohoo!  Pretty colors and everything!  I snatched that package of paper up in my hands as if it were a bag of gold!

Never one to be put off quickly (just a nice way of saying that I can be pretty stubborn), we tried coloring again after his nap.  He had been using a mandarin like a crayon, so I asked him if he wanted to color.  He said, "Uh-huh" (which he says to everything like other toddlers say "no" to everything). He did actually color on paper a little bit--progress, perhaps?  Then I decided that we needed to practice for opening up Christmas presents, so we ripped and ripped and ripped paper--finally something he was much more interested in!  But I was so busy "helping" him that I forgot to get some pictures.

Thursday was my Russian lesson day (and a migraine, sadly), so no Tot School really took place that I remember.

Friday we had fun preparing for friends to come and play.  Isaiah had a blast playing with his little friend Slava who can crawl now.  Isaiah was so excited that he didn't even want to eat his pizza!  As soon as Slava was done, Isaiah quickly declared "all done" so that he could go and play.  I think Isaiah learned pretty quickly that he could roll a ball for Slava to chase!  Lots of laughter and good Russian practice for me with Slava's patient mother Oksana.

I'm so pumped about starting B next week because I have some fun ideas for ways to use my new colorful paper!  I even found some glue!  And I think that Isaiah and I might practice some of the craft projects that I want to try for the camp in January (and yes, please give more ideas!).

Check out what else is going on in Tot Schools around the world!

A New Tradition

When I was a kid we had a fun advent calendar that I always enjoyed.  It had windows to open every day as Christmas approached.  I didn't really understand what Advent was at the time, but now I appreciate Advent much more as we are teaching Isaiah.

I decided that I wanted to make an Advent calendar for our family, so I searched online for some ideas.  I saw calendars involving chocolate or candy or windows or gifts, but eventually I came up with this idea of my own, which worked well with the supplies that I had:

I had some left over green material from Isaiah's Peter Pan costume that I used as a background for some stars.  Ideally I would have liked to have made the stars from material, but because it took me a while to get my act together, paper will just have to do for this year!  Naturally the stars are numbered for each day, starting with the first Sunday of Advent.  In case you counted, that's why we have 26 stars, not just 25 like most purchasable calendars.  And aren't we fortunate to have a huge carpet to hang it on with pins so that we don't have to put holes in the wall! (and if you can pick up on my sarcasm, you are quite intuitive) :)

Thomas did a wonderful job making an Advent and Christmas song book for us.  He included Scripture passages for us to read, usually one for the morning and another for the evening.  We've enjoyed singing some familiar songs and learning some new ones that he found for us!

(please forgive the blurry picture, it didn't look that bad on my viewfinder)

After our evening reading we get to put a small star with the passage(s) that we read that day on top of the big star in order to cover up the number.

Being far from home and everything we grew up with is difficult at this time of year, but being able to make these new traditions for our family helps make the time very special.  What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

We Did This a While Ago, Actually...

The Monday after Thanksgiving was our big decoration day!  Unfortunately Thomas was quite ill, but he rallied for a few pictures and decorations.  But first things first...

Though this looks like a body in the cabinet, it's really our tree wrapped up in the sheet that I use for a tree skirt.  I just thought it was really funny and wanted to share my twisted sense of humor.

See, it really is our tree; I didn't do any quick changes or anything.
And here it is with lights, which means that it's time for...
Decorations!  Isaiah has a special set of nutcracker decorations from Grandaddy that we made sure to bring with us.
Thankfully Thomas was able to put the star on for us!
And then Isaiah got his Tree Guardian, a tradition that we started last year.  During the Christmas season, the Tree Guardian sits under the tree and guards all the presents at night.  During the day, Isaiah can play with him.  This year in Russia is the year of the cow--they're EVERYWHERE, so we thought we should follow along.
Voila!  Our tree...complete with presents from America ready to go underneath.
And the stockings were hung on the rug with care...

Finally, we realize the value of having a huge rug hanging on the wall!

Merry Christmas, everyone!