SEW: A Sign of the Times

Summer time, that is. And Isaiah couldn't be happier about the situation.

Tot School--L Week

Isaiah is almost 41 months

L is for Life, and we had a lot of interesting experiences in our lives this week!

Bible Verse:

Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Bible Story:

Lazarus

Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any great crafts for this Bible story to increase hand coordination for Isaiah, so we acted out the story with some of his little animals. Lazarus was the lion (since they both started with L). I hope that doesn't seem too sacrilegious! We didn't have an animal for Jesus. And Isaiah's little cloth briefcase sufficed for the tomb. So Isaiah enjoyed putting Lazarus into the tomb, but I had to convince him that Mary and Martha didn't need to go in the tomb, too. Then he enjoyed taking Lazarus back out when I finished the telling him the story.

Laundry basket

Which apparently has suddenly begun to fascinate Isaiah.

Lydia!

Lydia's mommy had their second daughter on Monday night! We got to spend all day with Lydia on Wednesday! They played so well together!

Lick

Thursday our friends Oksana and Slava came over. After lunch we were able to go for a walk in the wonderful park near our house. Isaiah and I enjoyed licking some ice cream!

Lighthouse

I made the letter L and we turned the tall side into a lighthouse. Anyone recognize which lighthouse this is supposed to be?

Legos

Isaiah actually asked to play with his legos! And guess what else! He built something with them! This is the first time that he's worked so hard to put the legos together all by himself. Before this he's only pulled them apart.

Lids

Isaiah is getting better and better at unscrewing or taking off lids these days. And he even has started to put them back on fairly well. This also has developed into a fascination with putting chap stick on his lips because he can get that lid off very easily! Hmmm....wonder where he got that idea? (anyone with the last name of Slawson willing to confess to this behavior?) :)

We did a few other things like mail letters, look through magazines, lock ourselves out of the apartment, and of course laugh lots and lots.

Some songs we sang:

O Be Careful Little Hands..., This Little Light of Mine, O Love That Will Not Let Me Go, and tons of songs with Love in them.

These last 2 pictures, don't have much to do with our Tot School, except that the applique is "Little Mechanic". I just really like them, so I had to add them! And it's like a preview for next week's M activities!

Be sure to check out the other Tot Schools around the world or helpful Tot School tips at 1+1+1=1.

Oh, and if you're just really curious about our K Week, feel free to go and check it out, too.

Proud of Myself

I am please to announce that I am now able to download pictures from my phone again! Now I can share with you (though later) more of Isaiah's adorableness that I have captured at random moments during the day when I didn't want to take my camera around with us.

For instance, this is what he looked like Thursday after we shared an ice cream together in the park.

(don't worry, Wendy, I did wipe off his face, but not until we were done eating because the ice cream was melting, and neither one of us would have wanted to miss a bite, just to have a clean face)

And how is this possible, you might ask. Well, first I must admit that I did not take very good care of my first USB cable. The end that goes into the computer got crushed under a chair. I'm not proud of this part of the story, just so you know. I usually take much better care of things. But the good part, that I am proud of, is that without Thomas' help (he's the techie wiz of the family) I found a new USB cable. Yes, here in Russia! And it was cheaper than anything I had seen that I could have ordered online and had shipped to someone in America for me. And the lady who sold it to me was even nice! So I feel proud of myself for a technological and linguistic accomplishment.

And now you shall all benefit with cute random pictures. You're welcome. Have a grand day!

Whew, I'm Tired!

Well, I haven't had time to post our K Week for Tot School, but we did do it, I promise. I also haven't had time to post about our adventures on Monday when I was supposed to have a lesson, but um, didn't. And then there's the trip that Thomas is taking right now, the wonderful new little sister that Lydia has and the day we spent with Lydia, which I also haven't had time to write about. And I'm pretty tired, so I don't know when it will get done, either, but it will eventually get done, or at least the highlights. I promise.

But know that we are doing well. We miss Thomas, of course, but we're filling our days with lots of fun stuff, which naturally includes being outside. Isaiah has just had a minor meltdown and is currently lying in his bed because he wore himself out, which means I have a few minutes to tell you how I haven't had many minutes to write before now. But all is well. I'll be back soon, or eventually. :)

Tot School--K Week

Isaiah is 40 months

Hmm, this was 2 weeks ago, and I don't think that I even remember very much of what we did! But I'll do my best, just in case anyone is wondering what we were up to (i.e., Grandparents).

Bible Verse:

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I must confess that I never really settled on a Bible story, though thankfully we read the Bible together as a family every day, so Isaiah didn't do without!

This first picture had nothing to do with K, but it was something that occupied Isaiah for a long time! He worked with his little pegs and pegboard all by himself! At first, I would put in the pegs and he would pull them out. Then he started trying to put them in, too. Then he realized that there was a plastic bag nearby, so that ended any attention to the pegboard, everything just went from the bowl to the plastic bag and back.

Kitchen

No pictures, but Isaiah is starting to imitate some of my actions in the kitchen. For instance, he has a bowl and a plastic bag that I keep in there with some toys for him to play with. He has started pretending to stir the toys around in the bowl and to open the plastic eggs. It's really cute.

Kick

With a little help, Isaiah was able to kick this soccer ball!

Karate

We karate-chopped (is that a verb?) his foam letters. He did fairly well identifying the letters that we've worked on so far.

Kangaroo

I made a letter K and Isaiah glued it and a picture of some kangaroos down. We also watched some youtube videos about these amazing creatures!

Koala

We watched some youtube videos about koala bears, too.

And now, I can only remember one song that we sang, Jesus Everlasting King, but I know there were more. This is what happens when I wait too long to post something. Oh well!

There are plenty of other Tot Schools to read about at 1+1+1=1.

Happy Daddy's Day, Papa!

We've done a lot since last Daddy's Day, Papa! We've flown on airplanes and ridden on buses. We've been places and done things. For some reason, every Daddy's Day, someone is sick. Two times it was Mama. One time it was you. This time it's me. I still love you, though, and want to play with you while I'm sick. Maybe some year we'll get it all together and I can have a good picture with you on your day! I think you are a great Daddy.

I like how you come and scare me every night before bed. Mama tries to help me hide, but it is so much fun when you come in the room, that I want to see you, not be hiding somewhere!

I like how you play the guitar, and you always let me play, too! And you don't get mad when I drop the pic inside the guitar. And you don't get mad when I laugh at how funny you look while you are trying to get out the pic that I dropped in the guitar.

I like going for walks with you. Ok, I like going for walks, and I'm glad that you take me for walks. Maybe that is better to say. :) But I like going for walks with you on the frozen lake near our apartment. I trust you. I know you won't let anything happen to me!

I like wearing a cap like you do. When Mama says that something she wants me to do is like something that you do, I don't even think about it, I just do it. I want to be like you.

I think you're cool. And you're fun. And I'm glad you're my papa.

I love you!

My Dad Rocks!

(Yeah, I'm doing a spinoff from the sort-of weekly post about my husband, but I think it's appropriate to do so this grand Father's Day!)

So here are some reasons why my dad rocks!

~My dad is amazingly generous. He loves to give, and he does it well! And from the time that I was old enough to remember, he has taught me to give faithfully to God through tithes and offerings. But he doesn't just give financially.

~My dad loves having people in his home. Granted this is something that he and my mom do together, but if Daddy wasn't for it, this hospitality wouldn't have the flair that it often does (see above). My friends were always welcome in our home while I was growing up. All I had to do was say that someone was my friend, and they were accepted. And when I was in college, my friends and roommates were often included in family time because Dad understood that they were far from home, too, and needed some family away from family type of time. And then there's the annual ABF, which is just plan awesome; and the Christmas drop-ins, with all the yummy goodies.

~My dad has taught Sunday school at the church where I grew up since we began attending there. That would be 29 years. The class started as 4th-6th grade boys--a REALLY large class! And now it is only 6th grade boys, but Daddy works just as hard to teach them the truth of God's word. But Daddy also does more than just teach the class once a week. He makes sure that each week the boys get a special post card preparing them for the upcoming lesson; and who doesn't love to get personal mail! He takes them on outings like baseball games and basketball games and college wrestling matches--really good boy activities! There have even been occasions that I recall that he had some boys spend the night in order to go to a football game. From time to time Daddy will see one of his former Sunday school boys around town, and that now-man will often greet Daddy with great pleasure and tell whoever he is with, "this man was my Sunday school teacher!".

~My dad has great ideas! He can be really creative and think outside the box! (which is one of his favorite expressions as well)

~My dad supports and loves me, even when he doesn't really understand or perhaps even agree with my plans. For a long time I wanted to be a doctor and go to med school. Daddy was really excited about these possibilities. I then wanted to combine that dream with attending the Air Force Academy. I don't know that Daddy was particularly thrilled with this part of my plan, but he did a lot of research and contacted people through his amazing networking skills (another reason why he rocks!) and gave me opportunities to more intelligently evaluate my plan. He was very supportive, too when I changed my plans and decided to study counseling. I think it was a surprise to him, and we talked about it a lot, but he supported me and encouraged me to do well in my studies and then in my work.

~And my dad is a wonderful grandpa! He likes doing things with Isaiah, and he lets Isaiah help him with different things, like eating oreos or moving his sticky notes around or helping him remember information he's read.

~And perhaps most importantly, my dad loves God and wants to serve Him. He is willing to change his views when he learns from scripture a teaching of God that he formerly didn't know. I think that takes a lot of courage and humility.

I love you, Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

A Great Giveaway

One of the sites that I follow was featuring some giveaways, so I checked them out. Lots of times these giveaways are for things that are for girls, so they don't really apply for my little man. This time however, I was really excited to see what was being offered in the giveaway.

I had never heard of Jack and Lily shoes for babies and toddlers, but I think I'm in love! Go check out this great review of their product, but don't register for the tremendous giveaway, because I want to win it. :) Just kidding, of course! I would be thrilled for any friends of mine to win something as grand as these cute little shoes.

I think the reason that I got so excited is because the sandals and boots that they have actually look like a design that would fit Little Man's difficult to fit feet! Since he's not walking on his feet, his foot development has been a little odd. Finding shoes for him can be a real challenge, especially boots. But I won't bore you with all those details, just go read the giveaway for yourself and then check out the shoes at Jack and Lily!

My Husband Rocks

Thomas has been incredibly busy lately finishing up lessons, preparing a Russian sermon, planning and coordinating a 2-week Siberian trip, and all the other normal stuff of life. But today we're having a date. And you know where we're going? A Mexican restaurant! That's right. He knows how much I LOVE Mexican food, and he found a Mexican restaurant that's actually pretty close to our apartment. Ole! (don't know how to do that accent mark, any suggestions?)

But that's not even really why he's so wonderful. In the midst of all his planning and cramming and translating and on and on and on, he's taken several opportunities to check on me this week in very attentive and specific ways. Not that his attention is unusual, but this week it meant a lot more to me. Maybe I noticed it more, I don't know. But I do know that the beautiful bouquet of daisies on my kitchen table, some unexpected alone time carved into his schedule and the extra care that he's given to our son this week have stood out to me.

What can I say? I love him. A lot.

Family Day in the Park

Last Saturday was BEAUTIFUL, and if I could emphasize that through the typed word any more emphatically, I would do so.  After days and days of rain prior to Saturday and then again since Saturday, our day of family fun in the park is like a mental oasis...oh, it really can be warm and sunny and lovely and like summer in this city!

We packed up a picnic in our special picnic backpack (rather than picnic basket) and headed for Муринский Парк, this amazingly green park with a river flowing through the middle of it that has bike paths and walking paths and tons of luscious green grass (no, I'm not exaggerating here, it is luscious).  We even bought ice cream after lunch as we leisurely walked around the park soaking in the longed-for sunshine!

So, of course, I took a few pictures (with Isaiah's "words"):

What's Daddy doing?  That's what I want to do, too!

Why would anyone want to be inside when they could be outside?  What could they possibly be thinking!

What a great day!

SEW: The Other Side

This is what I see while I'm getting dressed every morning, usually accompanied by the sounds of giggles or a raspy "Mama".

Tot School--J Week

Isaiah is 40 months old

Our Bible verse this week:

Proverbs 3:15  She [wisdom] is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Of course, the most precious thing to Isaiah is outside, so we changed this verse a little bit to fit what he would better understand.

Our Bible Story:

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

And other things J is for...

Jelly

Isaiah enjoyed his first jelly and butter sandwich.  He's not really into peanut butter lately (more for mama!), but he had to have jelly this week, so I improvised.  He seemed to really enjoy the sweet lunch, since he ate the whole thing, and he's not a big sandwich fan.

Juxtaposed

This week Isaiah figured out that he can sit up even better by leaning up against something like the leg of our little table or the wall.  He was pretty proud of himself for this accomplishment!  And Mama was, too!

Jocularity

Friday night we had 3 other families join us for dinner, and Isaiah, as usual, had a blast!  He was doing his normal laugh until you can't breath thing, which was really quite cute.  He's getting better and better about actually playing with other children.

Just

As in just a few more M&M's, or just a few more minutes in the bath, or just one more song,  or just like Daddy...

Joshua and Jericho

We read the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho in English and Russian as always.  Then we built our own wall, which ended up more like the wall of China, probably, but we had fun.  We knocked it down, too, which was even more fun.  Then Isaiah wanted to clean it up.  He amazes me!

Some other random j activities:

We listened to some fun jazz thanks to the radio via iTunes.  We jostled through the park on a nice jaunt one afternoon.  It rained most of the week, so this was a treat, actually to finally get outside.  We learned about jungle animals by watching some videos on YouTube.  And Daddy made us jambalaya although Isaiah didn't really eat very much of that because it was pretty spicy--Yum!  We jumped around the house, which brought lots of giggles.  We jogged down the stairs to get the stroller, which also brought lots of giggles.

We sang:  Jesus Cast a Look on Me, Jesus Loves Me,  and whatever other songs we could think of that had Jesus in them.  Why do I always forget these songs when I come to write my post?

We read:  The Tale of Jeremy Fisher again, since that's are only J book.

And now we're Kickin' it with the letter K!

Check out the other Tot Schools at 1+1+1=1.

My Husband Rocks

It just doesn't seem possible for me to get this done on Fridays.  I think it's usually because we're super busy on Fridays hosting guests or going out and about.  But better late than never, right?  And I completely missed doing it last week.  

But this week, just one reason why my husband rocks....

Friday we had 3 other families over for supper.  We were hoping to cook out with this little grill that we bought off  my friend Deanna (who I really miss, by the way!) in our nice little park only a 5 minute walk away from our apartment.  But in the style of true Russian weather (read as, unpredictable) it rained off and on all day, leaving the ground pretty soggy for anything that would involve sitting on the ground.

So what did my husband do?  He found a way to grill indoors!  Now don't panic, there was no fire involved.  He bought wood chips and figured out a way to smoke chicken and peppers indoors, then he finished cooking them in the oven.  Can you say DELICIOUS?!  Good, because that's what it was!

I love his resourcefulness, especially when we get yummy food out of it. :)

The Winner Is...

Y'all are good guessers, since I'm assuming you don't know Russian.  This product was correctly identified as liquid smoke by SimpleBeauty!  But good job to ForHisGlory, who also wanted to guess liquid smoke as well.  Maybe you'll get the next one first!

And, SimpleBeauty, if you don't mind waiting until August, I'll be happy to reward with you an authentic матрёшка upon our return to the States for a couple months.  I would mail it here, but we would probably be in the States before you got it, so I figure I'll save myself a couple bucks, and get it to you just as quickly.  Email me your address at the slawsons (at) siberiangrits (dot) com and I'll save it for future mailing purposes.  (without the spaces and parentheses, of course, but I'm sure you know that)

Reading your guesses was lots of fun, but I must confess not as fun as actually eating hotdogs that tasted like they'd been grilled outside and washing them down with Dr. Pepper while watching the Braves play baseball.  Yeah, that was grand!