Random Happiness

1.  My little boy has started remembering his friends.  I love to hear him calling for his friends when I tell him that we're going to see them again.

2.  We have a Christmas tree that's big enough to require more than one strand of lights.  Last year was a pretty hectic Christmas, but this year we are a bit more prepared since we knew ahead of time we would be in the country.

3.  Weebles are for sale again.  I spent many hours as a child playing with Weebles.  I had a Weebles circus and played with it so much that I wore it out.  Now I can enjoy my children can enjoy playing with them, if they can beat me to them.

4.  I got a letter in the mail this week.  A real letter.  Not a Christmas card or advertisement or request for anything but a genuine letter.  And I'm excited to write back!

5.  My little girl has a really cute giggle.  Take a listen:

Want to share your good feelings?  Pick a prompt then link up at The Girl Next Door Grows Up to share your fun and enjoy feeling good with other bloggers.

Feel Good Friday

God has given me a wonderful husband, and today I want to list just five things (though there are LOTS more!) for which I'm thankful about him.

1.  Whether he's playing with our children or trying to stay awake while driving on a long trip, he's never afraid to be silly.

at a little friends birthday party he got creative with the remains of the pinata

2.  He is trying to be healthy so that he can be around with us for a long time!

We are always so glad to have him come home after his travels

3.  He knows what will bring joy to his family, which lately means he found a store that sells specialty hats and had the perfect hat made for his little boy, but it's for Christmas, so I'm not going to say any more about it.

4.  Cleaning is something that helps him deal with stress.  When we were first married, I didn't understand this, and whenever he helped me clean, I would get so offended.  OK, so not only when we were first married, this went on for a while.  Now, I appreciate how he rushes through the house to clean and get exercise and reduce his stress.  And I don't feel guilty; I'm just grateful.

5.  He's an amazing cook.  Tonight he's fixing us omelets, and I've been looking forward to it for days; they're so yummy!

I love you, Thomas! 

Pick a prompt from The Girl Next Door Grows Up and join the fun!

Feel Good Friday--The Return?

So, it's been a while since I've had the pleasure of participating in Feel Good Friday.  I've missed recalling some happy things from each week (though there have been happy things!) and reading the happy posts of others, so now that life is not crazy somewhat normal again, I'm going to try to participate in this fun meme, at least this week.

So here it goes...

Today is my mil's birthday, so my son is helping me pick 5 things about Mimi that make us feel good:

1.  Mimi gives great hugs.

2.  She makes really good food (particularly her spinach artichoke casserole).

3.  She gives me ice cream whenever I want it. (the me being Isaiah, naturally; although, she would get me some, too any time I wanted it)

and JanJan gets some, too

4.  She reads the Bible to me.

5.  She would do anything for her family!

even though we're a little crazy (and this isn't all of us, there are a few more now)

Happy Birthday!

5 Things For Feel Good Friday

1.  My husband returned safely from Tuva, Siberia!

2.  My little girl turned 3 months old.

3.  We met with a lawyer to get Nadia's exit visa so she can leave Russia with us on Monday.

4.  I realized that when we get to America, I will have clothes that fit.

5.  My little girl smiles at me.  A lot.

Join the fun with The Girl Next Door by picking a prompt and linking your post up on blog where you can read other Feel Good Friday posts!

Feel Good Friday--5 Memories with Mama

The Girl Next Door is finishing her blog vacation, but she still managed to have someone host Feel Good Friday for her, so head over to 29 And Holding and enjoy the fun!

Here are 5 memories from my mama's visit, though there are plenty more to share, I have to start somewhere!

1.  First time holding her granddaughter.

2.  Our trip to Peter Paul Fortress after the tornado.  This deserves a whole post of its own, which will hopefully happen some day.

3.  Figuring out the best way to wash and dry cloth diapers.  My mama was my laundry hero!  She made sure that all our laundry got done while she was here, which is no small task in a humid climate without a dryer.  And there's so much more to this memory than I can possibly contain in written form, but Mama, you know!

yes, I know this is not a picture of the diapers, but it does show our system you can use your imagination

4.  Isaiah finally calling my mom by her own name, which he chose:  Gran!  I loved watching him get more and more attached to her.

5.  Watching Mama on the metro.  My favorite trip was during rush hour one afternoon as we were trying to escape a rain storm.  Seeing all the people lined up to board the train, Mama asked me how we would make it on with the wheelchair.  I told her not to worry, that I would make sure we all got on.  I am very familiar with the push and shove routine, and the "mama bear" comes out in me whenever I have to get Isaiah somewhere.  You would not believe the way people push onto each train as if the next one isn't coming in 2 minutes.  So I pushed my mama onto the train and apologized to the people in front of her for the wheelchair hitting them in the knees.  (Thankfully Isaiah flirted with them and had them smiling by the next stop.)  I then yelled at the people behind us who were trying to push us where we couldn't go.  (And for the record Russian is a really fun language to yell in.)  

We transferred at a station near the center of town.  I so wish that I had a picture of Mama's face as she looked at all the people cramming onto the transfer escalators.  She must have said "Oh! My! Word!" about 50 times as we tried to make the transfer.  And all I could do was laugh, but she was a good sport.  

This isn't during rush hour, but it shows how we get Isaiah down into the metro (no elevators).  Mama was such a help getting him around the city as I needed to be careful post-op.  She's a champ!

Feel Good Friday, Unexpected

While The Girl Next Door is recovering from her busy week, she was kind enough to make sure that there was a host for Feel Good Friday; and I'm actually on time (typing this on Thursday helps with that)!

Rather than listing 5 things that brought a smile to my face this week, my prompt is something that someone did for me (a couple weeks ago now) that was quite unexpected and very kind.

I've written several times about the metro system here in St. Pete, and I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned the fact that people just don't talk to strangers while traveling on public transportation, except of course, when Isaiah decides to flirt with them.  But almost 3 weeks ago now, while my mom and I were going to church with the kids, something different happened!  We made quite the picture, I think with Isaiah in his wheelchair and Nadia in the carrier.

Usually I was offered a seat, since I was carrying Nadia, and I always took it, too!  She's getting to be quite the chunk. :)  Anyway, I rode next to a young lady for the majority of the first part of our travels.  When we transferred to a different line, the young lady somehow found me again in the midst of the Sunday crowd and wanted to give me the flowers that she had with her that she was going to give to a friend of hers.

I was speechless!  And I think she must have thought that I didn't understand her because she then started speaking in English, but I replied in Russian and said that I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say!  I then explained that we were going to be out in the heat all day, and that the flowers wouldn't make it until we got home.  I hated not being able to take them.  She was so kind!  She said some very nice things to me, and then we went our separate ways.

Now whenever I start to feel frustrated with people not paying attention to the other people around them (not just me), I think about this young lady, and I smile.

So what made you feel good this week, some time in the recent or not-so-recent past?  Check out the other Feel Good Friday posts at Eternal Lizdom, the guest host for Feel Good Friday this week.

Feel Good Friday--Weather Related

Yesterday was Friday, so I guess I'm setting a trend for posting this meme a day late.  But at least I'm posting, I suppose. :)

We have enjoyed some amazingly warm and sunny weather the last few days, almost a week actually, and because of that wonderful weather, here are 5 things that helped me feel good this week:

1.  Isaiah playing in this new car in our playground.  There used to be grungy, yucky playground equipment in our little playground.  While we were gone for 5 months it was replaced.  I didn't realize it was replaced until the snow started melting.  Then at some point since our return, this cute little car was put in.  Guess who has one happy little man on her hands!

2.  I've been able to take my mom around town with the kids!

Gran and the kids on Palace Square by the Hermitage

3.  While going around town, I've been able to practice my Russian again by doing some translating for my mom.

Gran and Isaiah with an interesting statue of Peter the Great, founder of St. Petersburg

4.  Picnics!

Gran and Nadia on one of our picnics, thankfully this one was warm and sunny, the first was windy and cold

5.  And in case you missed this fact, MY MAMA IS HERE! (that's enough for a feel good post all on its of course!) 

Me and my mama!

You can read what makes some other people feel good, or join the fun yourself at The Girl Next Door Grows Up.  If you want to join the fun, pick a prompt and link your post.  Have a great weekend!

Eavesdropping for Feel Good Friday

My husband spent several days this week working really hard in another time zone while still living in our time zone.  At one point I stepped into the room where he was conferencing via Skype and heard part of his conversation.

Apparently a person is needed for some duties at the home office of our organization.  I guess the duties could be done offsite, though, because I think Thomas was asked if I would be interested in doing them.  But this is what he said,

Uh, because I love and want to protect my wife, I'm going to say no.  My wife is a physical therapist and speech therapist and occupational therapist and homeschooler and mother and wife.  I'll ask her about this, but I'm going to say no because I want to protect her.

I felt loved and appreciated.  Thomas, as Isaiah would say, Thanks, Honey!


(Oh, and speaking of Isaiah, I have to follow-up from one of my thoughts from last week:  Isaiah makes a smacking noise when he kisses you.  And I just watched him scoot his little bottom over next to his daddy just to give him kisses on the arm.)

Join the fun at The Girl Next Door Grows Up by picking a prompt and linking up.

Feel Good Friday--5 Things and Happy Feet

1.  I love how Isaiah now makes the smacking noise when he gives kisses.

2.  I got to have some time to myself out of the house this week, and it was really nice.  The best part about having alone time though is that I feel refreshed and ready to be with my boys again!  Thank you to my sweet husband who made that time possible despite his busy schedule!

3.  My husband can "attend" a conference in Boring, OR for our missions organization from the comfort of our very own kitchen via Skype.  This way he doesn't have to leave his son and (almost) 35-week pregnant wife alone in St. Petersburg to fly to OR.

4.  Though it hasn't happened yet, I'm feeling pretty good about being able to attend a birthday party tomorrow for one of Isaiah's friends.  He always enjoys these times so much, that I think I anticipate it even more than he does!

5.  And the grand finale....

It's finally warm enough (at least for now) to pull out the sandals!  (my apologies to any readers who don't like feet, but I at least I had the forethought to paint my toenails a few days ago, so maybe that makes it a little bit better)  Oh, and I did have to bend over in order to see my feet over my belly. :)

Have 5 things that made you feel good this week?  Join the fun hosted by The Girl Next Door Grows Up by picking a prompt, writing your post and linking on her blog.

Feel Good Friday, Just a Little Late

So yesterday, I was feeling good, so good in fact, that I completely forgot to do the post that I wanted to do.  We got to spend the whole day together as a family, something that we've started actually putting on the calendar to make sure it happens!  And it was grand, which makes me feel good.

But what I wanted to tell was a story that happened on the metro the other day:

If you've never been to Russia, which would include the vast majority of my readers, I'll explain a little bit about metro etiquette:  The ride between stops is rather loud and not conducive for conversation.  The time at each station is very quiet, but no one talks.  You don't really look at other people, either.  But then, there's Isaiah, my flirtatious little 4 year old sitting in his wheelchair, something of an oddity on the St. Petersburg metro (the wheelchair, not a 4 year old).

Our family was riding the metro the other day as we often do.  An older lady entered our wagon, and Thomas gave her his seat, which meant that she was now sitting between me and the spot where Thomas had "parked" Isaiah's wheelchair.  Isaiah did what he always does, he flirted shamelessly with the older lady.  She resisted for a minute, but that's about all that she could stand before playing with him, too.  When she saw me smiling at him, too, she asked if he was my "little one".  Naturally, I was proud to reply in the affirmative.

Then she asked if he was our first.  I said yes.  She began to say that it was probably a good thing that he is our only child because she thought life must be difficult for us and something about children being a lot of work.  (Not only was the train moving at this point, but she also was missing lots of teeth, which sort of hinders my ability to hear properly, so I'm probably not giving you the most accurate translation in the world, but that's the gist.)

You should have seen the look on her face when I told her that we are expecting another child!  I couldn't tell if she was horrified or just shocked.  After thinking for a moment, I leaned back over and said, I think children are our gift from God.

You could tell that it took her a moment to process what I had said, maybe because of the noise, maybe because of my accent, but I think that it was mostly because the concept was new to her.  Then she started doing the "blessing your socks off" routine that we've become accustomed to from the older women here.   She said a bunch of stuff that I couldn't understand, but one thing did stand out--she thought that we were different.

And that's part of what we're here for, isn't it?  To show the difference Christ makes in our lives.  While this interaction didn't bring an explanation of the gospel, I do think that it gave this older lady something to think about that she hadn't thought about before, and that's a very good thing.

Have something to share?  Join the fun by picking a prompt and then linking up with your post.

5 Things That Make Me Smile

1.  When I sing Isaiah a song, he always claps at the end and says, Again!

2.  After Isaiah talks to his daddy, I have to clean my phone because he's covered it in sweet, sticky kisses.

3.  The young Russian lady who would help me with Isaiah last year recently met me and watched him for me during a doctor's appointment.  Afterwards, I joined them at her apartment for a meal with her and her husband.  I tried to pay her for the time during the appointment when she had taken care of Isaiah for me, but she said, No, I was not working as a nanny, I am just a friend.

4.  At last I am making progress again on Nadia's quilt!  The top is sewn together, and now I have to find the directions again for sewing the middle and back and binding.  Only about 6 weeks to get it finished!

5.  And best of all...MY HUSBAND COMES HOME TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join the fun by picking a prompt and linking up at The Girl Next Door Grows Up!  Happy Friday!

Lots of Memories, One Special Lady

I'm trying something new.  I've recently enjoyed reading a new blog, Daily Coping Skills where I regularly find good laughs and good ideas.  (Thanks, Susan!)  Every Friday (or whenever I get around to catching up on blogs again) I've enjoyed a weekly meme called Feel Good Friday in which she participates, so I'm going to try it out, too.  But I make no weekly promises.

Here's my first attempt:

For about 27 years I had the wonderful blessing of making memory after memory with an amazing woman.  Some people called her a firecracker, some people called her Mary, some people called her Red but to me she is Grandma.  Every idea I have what a grandma should be comes from who my grandma is.  And I use incorrect grammar here and change my verb usage on purpose because she still is Grandma, only better because now she's perfect in her heavenly home.

Not that I remember this, of course, but my grandma was there for my birth.  The nurses had to show me to her right away when they found out my red hair came from her.  And the rest is history...

Even though she and Grandpa lived about 11 hours away in southern Illinois, I was blessed to be able to spend a chunk of my summers with them, sometimes by myself but often with my 3 cousins.  Several Christmases my parents and I drove out for a week or so.  And then my senior year of high school she and Grandpa moved to NC and lived with us for about 6 months before moving less than a mile down the road.  So trying to pick one memory that makes me smile is difficult, like eating only 1 chocolate chip cookie or only 1 fresh from the garden strawberry, nearly impossible!

When they lived on the farm in Illinois, we spent many hours in their garden planting, pulling or picking.  Then we would spend many hours snapping, peeling, chopping, canning.  Whether we were inside or outside, it was always hot work, but it was good because we all did it together.

that's my grandpa on the "truck" (as Isaiah would say); he's pretty grand, too!

I remember one time after Grandma and Grandpa moved to NC, I walked into their living room to a very familiar site:  Grandma was curled up in her recliner with her Bible on her lap and her pencil in her hand.  She was reading about her favorite person in the Bible (other than Jesus or God, or course).  She had a question for me:


How come it says that Moses saw God's face, but it also says that no man can see God's face and live?  Answer me that?!  And don't you think Moses got a raw deal after dealing with those Israelites and not getting to go to the promised land after one thing that he didn't do just right?


I can't tell you how many times we had this discussion, but I never got tired of it.  Grandma was quite passionate about Moses.  And every time I read about Moses, I always think of my grandma.  She always used to say that she couldn't wait to talk to Moses in heaven, but I'm guessing she might have been a little distracted by her Lord and Savior!

So thinking about my grandma makes me smile, for so many reasons.

Want to join the fun, too?  Pick a prompt from The Girl Next Door Grows Up and see what happens.