A Little Out of Touch

Last week we were in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia (hence the lack of my normally crazy amount of posting).  It was cold.  We had a great time though.  We were attending the Russian field conference for our mission agency InterAct Ministries.  Basically we got together with the other InterActers here in Russia and talked about what we are doing, what we want to do, and how we can do things better for the Kingdom of God.

Amazingly, I didn't get very many pictures during the actual conference.  For instance Isaiah got to play with 3 other little boys all weekend, and I didn't capture a single moment!  Completely out of character for me and a little sad.

But here are some pictures that we did get:

Before almost everyone else left for an all-night train ride, we trekked up (in vehicles) to a really high point in the city of Krasnoyarsk.  A church on that point is actually featured on the 10 ruble bill, so didn't bother taking a picture of the church, though that would have been a nice idea.

Instead we got pictures of people:

Here's the whole gang.  See the other little people all bundled up?  It was really cold enough for them to be almost suffocated, we weren't just trying to avoid advice-giving, overprotective babushkas!  The family groups from left to right are Allen and Michelle Ketel (with Kaleb and Ethan), Lucas and Jamie Orner (with Samuel), Scott Gilbert, Dave and Kaye Henry, Sue Hague, Vanessa Greer, Jim Capaldo, and us (with Isaiah, of course).  [Go check out the links that I included.  The others' might have sites, too, but I don't know them, sorry!  If you know anyone's site, please fill me in!]

And here's Isaiah and me with Vanessa.  It was so cold I had to pull up my hood!  I'm really glad that I had that extra warm scarf from CA--who'd have thought a scarf from CA would end up in Siberia!

After we said some goodbyes on the top of that windy hill, Thomas, Isaiah and I headed to the hotel where we spent our last night.  Thankfully the evening was still young, so Isaiah and I could go play at this amazing ice park!

Yes, this is ALL ICE! (well, except for the people climbing around, of course)

I'm telling ya, those slides are FAST!

And this is the view from our hotel room.  Krasnoyarsk is a beautiful city with the river and hills.  It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of St. Pete.  Most of all though we enjoyed the fellowship with our fellow laborers.

Ok, Give Me Your Opinion, Please

In case you've missed the news somehow, we're in the market for a double stroller.  :)  I've been doing some research on these big, expensive things, and decided that it's time to seek the wisdom of those around me.  Ok, maybe not exactly around me, as in nearby, but as in other people who have really good ideas.

I've looked at the Bob double jogging strollers-- really great, but probably out of our price range!

I've looked at the inStep double jogging strollers, too.  And some Schwinns.  I haven't looked as much at the 4-wheeled strollers, but I'm sure that they are nice, too, so tell me about those, if you know anything!

I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the options and the prices.  I think that I'd really like a jogging stroller, but that drives up the price a good bit.  Keep in mind that Isaiah will be in this stroller for a while longer, so allowed weight and height might be an issue.  Also this stroller will probably be used every single day on uneven sidewalks and rough park paths, so durability is a must!  We've already overworked one stroller in less than a year!

Basically, just tell me what you like, or what your friends like, or what you think is cool.  We'll most likely buy something in the States because these sorts of things cost a lot less there, and they don't sell strollers at IKEA.

Thanks ahead of time!

Oh Yeah! Something from January!

Well, for some reason I realized the other night when I couldn't sleep that well, that I hadn't told you about Camp Babochka!  I had asked for advice beforehand because I was supposed to help with the craft and I really had no idea what to do.  So now, at last, here's how it went at camp.

There was a special welcoming committee for the campers and their families.  The theme was fairy tales, so the counselors all dressed up in Russian fairy tale character costumes, mostly gnomes and fairies.  And apparently Snow White is a popular Russian character as well.

Even though the campers only see these counselors a few times a year, there is a close connection.  The parents stayed in a building nearby while the counselors took care of their campers overnight.  We learned afterwards that the parents were thrilled with the camp.  They want to do another one!  This is a big deal because none of the parents are believers, and this camp is clearly a Christian camp.  Anna, the director of the camp, has long wanted to have a ministry directly to the parents of the campers, and her prayers are beginning to be answered!

And here's the first day of the craft that I was in charge of organizing and directing--in Russian!  The first 3 minutes seemed to be going all right, then the next 15 minutes were utter chaos and I felt a bit terrified.  Then the amazing counselors really stepped up and things went very smoothly.

In the evenings we all joined in one large group and played games before the message was preached.

The second day some of the campers went outside in the FREEZING weather to play a game of hockey!  They had a great time!  I stayed inside, however, and helped some kids who didn't want to go outside with crafts.  Fewer kids and better preparation on my part made for a much more calm environment. :)

After the hockey game I gave a talk to the girls about table etiquette in preparation for their Christmas ball later that evening.  The girls were very patient with my Russian and asked some great questions.  We had a great time together, laughing (often at my language mistakes), chatting and just being girls.
Thomas, Isaiah and I had to leave early due to our flying back to the States and all, but we had such a great time!  I was thankful to actually have an active part in what was going on.  Thomas did a great job leading a small group.  Isaiah just plain had fun with all the other kids!  Thanks again for all your prayers!

Something Fun

So, these pictures are actually from our anniversary in December, but I just had to share them when I finally got them off Thomas' phone.  Aunt Luda came and stayed with Isaiah so Thomas and I could have a special night.  After our really great dinner, we took a little bus ride and then walked along the Neva River towards the Hermitage.  Here we are on Palace Square with the Hermitage all lit up behind us:

But this is my favorite picture.

Anyone else kissed on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia?  Ah, the perks of missionary life.

How We Celebrate Valentine's Day

Well, actually we kind of forgot about Valentine's Day in general.  Thomas and I have never been big on the holiday, not anti-Vday, but not really into it either.  Hooray for those of you who enjoy it lots and lots.

Our Valentine's Day was really full though.  I had a 5-hour lesson for the majority of the day.  When I got back, though, we all headed out to Mega, our refuge of cleanliness and order.  We visited the Swedish Embassy (aka IKEA) and bought a bed.

A Big Boy Bed!

It was too late to set it up that night, but Sunday we had it ready to go for nap time.

Isaiah was Daddy's helper.

Isaiah LOVES his new bed.  We put it on him to see how he'd react, and then he got really upset when we picked him up because he just wanted to hang out on his new bed.

Night, night, Little Man.  Sweet dreams.

(and I'm happy to report that his first night in the Big Boy Bed went very well)

Tot School

Isaiah is 36 months old

This week was short again, since I had 2 language lessons--this month has been crazy busy!

But I have big news:  Isaiah started drawing!

Thomas found this Draw 'n Glow Super Set for Isaiah's birthday, and it was a hit.  I didn't know if he would be interested or not, you know he loves coloring so much and all (insert sarcastic tone here).  Almost as soon as I put it in front of him, he started scribbling away!  I naturally grabbed the camera and started snapping away.

I pulled out the crayons again on the off-chance that he might be more interested in coloring now that he enjoyed the drawing set so much.  In fact, for about 2 minutes he tried to color with the crayons before the "hand the crayons to mama" game.  That's 2 minutes longer than any other time.  I also used that time to start working on the letters in his name.

These cups are probably one of his favorite things to play with.  He'll stack them and unstack them and restack them and put things in them and take things out (usually some kind of food).  He's getting really good at this!  I started asking him to "put the blue cup in the green cup" (for example), and he can do it!  He's starting to repeat the color names a lot more, too.  Oh!  And in his bath he started handing me the colored item that I asked for--correctly!

Aunt Beth, Uncle Jason and Jake gave Isaiah these neat puzzles for his birthday.  He really likes the one of the baby face.  He'll point to the facial feature on the puzzle and then point to his own face (in the right place!).  We're working on putting the puzzles together, but I think that's going to take some time yet, so we'll just keep trying.

Isaiah still really likes his peg board, too, which I think is starting to help his fine motor skills because he's getting a lot better with utensils!  He did a great job with some breakfast sausages and a fork, and he was quite proud of himself.

The family album is a hit.  He loves looking at the pictures over and over again.  He gives them kisses and practices saying the names of the people in the pictures.  I just love how loving he is.

So that was our week.  It was busier than I thought.  This week will be short again because we're heading to Krasnoyarsk, Russia for our missionary field conference.  I'm sure that there will be plenty of learning going on there, too!  Isaiah will have 3 other little boys to play with, so if you feel the earth shake for no particular reason, it's because Isaiah will be laughing so hard!

Be sure to check out the other Tot School fun at 1+1+1=1.

I've Got Something to Tell You

Ok, so there's something that I'd like to share from the world of bloggers:

Unfortunately, this is incredibly late in the game on my side of the pond, but there's still time left for you on planet America.  In our Tot School adventures, Isaiah and I have "met" Esme and her mommy (sorry, I don't know how to type the accent mark in there, Esme).  

Esme and her family have been living in Mozambique, though they're in the States for now between missionary assignments.  You can check out the details about that on her blog, because right now I want to tell you about something else on her blog.  You might have noticed a button on my sidebar for Operation Love Zimbabwe.  See, Esme lived in Mozambique, but she was close to Zimbabwe and visited there a lot.  The political situation in Zimbabwe is, well, the pits; which means that life in Zimbabwe is beyond difficult right now for the people trying to live there.

In an effort to raise awareness of the needs in Zimbabwe, Esme and her mommy have been hosting giveaways for a the past 2 weeks.  I know, I know, how could I keep all this great stuff (like this) to myself?  Well, I've been meaning to tell you about it long before now, so please forgive me.  The point is, you should go read some of the posts that Esme's mommy has written or posted from other writers because more people should know what's going on in Zimbabwe.  Then you can also enter in the giveaways.

Please go check it out and say hello to Esme for us!

Please Pass the Honey

Tonight at supper Isaiah wasn't all that hungry apparently.  We've been trying to put some weight on him actually since he's the same size as kids 1/3 of his age.  It doesn't help that one of his necessary medicines is actually an appetite suppressor, kind of a bummer.

Anyway, tonight at dinner he ate the pasta that was prepared for him, but he was having some major problems with the chicken.  I won't go into detail on that, but trust me, it wasn't pretty.  There wasn't that much pasta for him, so we pulled out the good ol' lavash (a great bread that Deanna brought us last night!).  Thomas started dipping pieces of the bread in honey that happened to be on the table.  Well, Thomas wasn't fast enough.  Next thing we see is Isaiah reaching over the tray of his chair and dropping pieces of his bread into the honey and then trying to get them back out as if to say, 

"Hey, that's really good, I want more of that stuff on my bread, and Daddy you are falling down on the job, so I'm just going to find a way to do it myself."

He might not talk much, but he sure can communicate!  I so wish that I could have caught that on film (as the old saying goes).

"It's a major award!"

But don't worry, it's not going in the front window to glow and embarrass the family for all the Russian passersby to see.  And if you know what I'm talking about, then kudos to you on you Christmas movie trivia knowledge.

The truth is that Shannon over at Teaching Tiny Tots is passing on the Kreativ Blogger award of attitude/gratitude to me.  Yes, little ol' me!  Thanks, Shannon!  Part of being given this award is to pass it on to other bloggers who show great attitude/gratitude, link to the people to whom you give the award and then comment on their blogs to tell them about the award.

So here are my choices, not in any particular order, and there could have been many more:

Simple and Deliberate--when I think about attitudes, I can't help but think about Heather.  She's on a tough road that God has laid out before her.  She struggles, and she's honest about that, but she continues to look to God for her strength.  Read her blog, you will be encouraged and challenged.

And Then There Were Three--I love how much E loves her little boy!  She always has a great attitude about teaching opportunities for him.

Between Blue Rocks--this young writer amazes me with her writing skills and her focus on glorifying God with the skills that He has given her

The Nelson Family--my friend has been through some tough times, but she always looks to God and she just all around has a great attitude!  I love her sense of humor, too.

LaTour Family--I think I've gotten to know Kelly better through her blog then when we grew up together!  Being able to stay connected to someone from home has been great and encouraging.  I love how Kelly can laugh at herself on her blog.

Mulishani from Zambia--one of my college roommates is now ministering in Zambia.  Though we have very different ideas about what kind of weather is ideal, we can enjoy each other's experiences via blogdom.  She has a much better attitude about snakes and rats and mosquitos than I do!

Will and Carrie--I've never met Carrie in person, but through our blogs I feel like I've known her a long time!  She's a great mom; and I love how much she loves her family.  

Growing Hope--a friend from grad school days, Guitta always makes me think.  I appreciate her perspective on things, as she makes me think about things that I wouldn't normally think about, or in a way that I wouldn't normally think about them.  I love how she loves God!

Vanessa's Ventures--this gal is just "stinkin' awesome".  And you need to read her blog.  Vanessa is a fellow InterAct missionary who is living in Novosibirsk, Siberia.  She can tell a great story, and it's all true!

Because Momma Says So--in a day when marriages don't survive like they used to, I love how this blogger (who happens to be related to me, by the way, so you can pray for her!) is always grateful for and praises her husband.  It's great.  She's also an up and coming quilter, which is pretty neat.

So there you have it.  These are some bloggers for whom I'm thankful.  I'm going to go tell them so.

Tot School--A Short Week

Isaiah is 36 months old

This week I had two Russian lessons, a doctor's appointment and a birthday party from Wednesday to Friday, so we didn't do a lot of concentrated Tot School, but we enjoyed what we did get to do!  Wednesday he got to spend the whole day with Aunt Luda, so he had Russian practice that day, too!

I pulled out the crayons again so that we could work on colors and maybe at least see the number 3, since Isaiah turned 3 on Friday.  He seems to enjoy taking the crayons out of the box and setting them to the side.  When they're all out, he then wants to hand each one to me to put back in the box so the process can repeat itself.  He's still not really interested in drawing.  So I just reviewed the colors with him while we did this little game.

I then drew some 3's on the paper and we worked on him saying "I'm 3!", which he did very well.  I helped him draw some 3's as well, but he's still not super interested in drawing or writing.

He still loves his Machines book that a friend sent us last year.  He loves to point to the different machines, which right now are all "cars".  I ask him to point to the different colored cars, and he's getting much better at this activity.

Friday was a big day!  We went to see my doctor and "meet" our new baby.  Isaiah was a trooper as it took me a while to find the clinic.  He talked a lot to everyone around and made lots of new friends at the clinic.  After the appointment and a special birthday lunch, we headed home to get ready for the party!  We had a couple of other tots and their parents over for a supper of hotdogs and hamburgers.  Isaiah received some great Tot School tools like books and drawing tools and even a math game!  I made this album for him of all our family members in the States that he will see regularly when we go back for visits.  I hope too, when we get to the letters their names start with to use their pictures to help him have even more of an association with certain letters.

I know I already posted about his party, but I just like this picture, so here it is again. :)

Saturday was thankfully a little slower.  We did actually do some Tot School stuff, though I didn't get pictures.  He is really into stacking cups right now, and he's getting really good at it!  We also worked on a toy that he received for Christmas but I hadn't pulled out of the box yet (yikes!).  It's kind of like a lite-brite (is that what they're even called?), but it's all just plastic, no electricity involved.  There's a plastic board with holes in it and different colored plastic pegs to put in the holes to make a picture.  It's called a Mosaic Toy here, but it would probably be called something else in the States.  I didn't get pictures this week, but he seemed to like it, so I'm sure we'll do it again.  It was great for working on his fine motor skills!  He also just really liked shaking the bag with the pegs in it, which he did for a long time later that afternoon when he found the box and pulled out the bag.

So those are the few things that we did this week.  Check out 1+1+1=1 for other Tot School activities.

Oh!  And Carisa at 1+1+1=1 has also started a blog with some other moms that's designed specifically for moms and their tots.  Be sure to check out, Totally Tots for some really great ideas and to meet some other cute tots!