Down Day

I've been meaning to write and let you know how beautiful the snowy woods are across the street, how comfortable to live with the Huddlestons, and how thankful we are for the easiest transition ever!

But today was my first down day. I was tempted to wait and write tomorrow, or whenever I'm feeling more positive. But in the interest of transparency, I'll share how I'm doing today, and not try to shine it up...though hopefully, tomorrow I'll have to update you with how happy I am, so you don't worry!

Today was frustrating. The third day of Eric’s three-day trip to Moscow. (Which has been easy overall, as Trisha and I have been able to trade off some childcare, and she still does most of the cooking! And the four boys are still loving playing together.)

I went to look at another flat, without Eric. One that was very close by, but in terrible condition. It’s actually bigger than the ones we’ve been looking at—the refrigerator fit in the kitchen, unlike the last two where it was in a hall or a closet—but we still couldn’t have fit around the table to eat. And it was smelly and dark and the paint was peeling terribly. And then the realtor told me that there were two different really nice places, just farther away. But that means having to ride the tram 3 or 5 stops. Last time I did that, it took 30 minutes. (Which was due to an unusual traffic jam, but still!) And sometimes the trams don’t come for 10 minutes. So it’s hard to do with the kids and not get exhausted. We so much want to be near the Huddlestons, so that we can see each other, help each other and the kids can be with their friends a lot!

Tomorrow when Eric’s back we’re going to look at one of the farther away apartments. The nice thing is that rents are falling, so hopefully we’ll be paying about 50-60% of what we were paying in Kiev. But it’s been really frustrating to only see four places in two weeks, and feel none of them are really good options. So you can pray for wisdom for us. It’s so hard to choose between a place that’s in poor condition, tiny, but close by, and one that’s farther away but nice and big. It just depresses me to think of being that far away. But we can’t stay here with the Huddlestons forever (gracious as they are!) and soon we'll have to accept one of the not-ideal options. I think I’m frustrated with God, because we’ve been praying for this for so long, and I just think, “How hard can it be, in this place of high-rise apartments all over, to just have one decent one for rent nearby?” I know His plans are not mine, and want to not be resentful over withheld answers to our prayers. But today, that was hard.

It doesn’t help that yesterday the temperature rose above zero, and the snow got slushy, and I can’t push the stroller at all anymore. And the kids got soaked immediately on the playground . Even after all day on the radiators, the coats and snowpants and mittens and boots and hats are not all dry. And since we lived through the wet transition in Kiev during January, I know exactly what we’re in for--but worse. There’s been a lot of snow here, and we’ve been loving it! But that means a lot to melt. Already, the crosswalks are guarded by puddles, and I have to choose between getting my feet soaked or walking a big detour (hard with the stroller and 2-4 boys taggin along). It’s going to be messy. If it was warm maybe that would help, but I don’t count 35F as warm!

So, that's where I am tonight. Hopefully some sleep, a husband home and a day of rest will bring some optimism to the next post!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

"How old are you, Ella?"

"Twooo!"

We kept things simple, just a dinner with our team. The dairy free cake was chocalaty and delicious!

It was a little complicated because while we were preparing dinner, Eric (with a lot of help from Chris and Cheryl) was clearing customs, loading our shipped boxes and bringing them home through rush hour traffic. They delivered them just in time for dinner!

Ella enjoyed her gifts, especially the play phone that the boys gave her. She woke up this morning calling for her 'shoes'.

Potty training

Ella has surprised us with her desire to be out of diapers. She wakes up in the mornings calling out, "Daddy, Ella pee!" And she loves to go together with anybody to the bathroom. She figured out how to go on the potty, and can almost anytime she goes. She does occasionally initiate--announcing loudly her desire to go. But when I leave her diaper off for long, she usually wets her pants. We weren't really excited about the timing of this, but as soon as we get settled here in St Pete, we're going to jump off the potty-training cliff!

retro post-- Last days in Kiev

We commissioned Tanya, our babysitter's daughter, to paint a picture. She chose to do the scene from our Christmas cards in oil pastels-- I believe it's the Mikhailovsky Church on the Andreyvskyi Descent. I still want a watercolor from her, because her style is exactly what I love!

Our closest friends among the neighbors-- Dima with Ella on the bottom of the couch, and Maxim from the 10th floor between the Coe boys.





Maxim's grandmother--Natasha, and Dima's mom--Lena, and I had tea together one last time.

Danya taught Ella how to fix our stools. And he and Tima fixed and 'unfixed' a bunch themselves. Then we sold them, and the rug they were on, and all the other little furnishings we'd bought this year!

Feb 16, 2008, Arrived in Russia!

Just a quick note to let you know we had two great flights today. We arrived in St Petersburg this afternoon, and we’re now staying at our teammates’ apartment. Chris and Trish Huddleston have two boys ages 5 and 8. They arrived here just a month ago, and we’ve all been eagerly anticipating actually meeting. The boys had a great time playing all afternoon. And we enjoyed dinner with our other teammates, Cheryl and Lena.

Tima's growing up!

We've seen a big transformation in Tima's character lately. He suddenly is more helpful around the house, and especially with Ella. One of his favorite things is to help her use the potty. He is upset if anyone else gets to go with her, and help take her diaper off. He also finds her 'burpie' and 'baby' doll whenever she starts crying.

As they interact more, we've also seen more conflict between Tima and Ella. He plays a game called 'steal the baby and run'. Which alwasys produces a screech.

But overall, it's like he's turned a corner to being more reasonable... most of the time!

Moving moving moving

Can 10 hours take two years off your life?

Eric spent all day yesterday shuttling between the train station and customs office. After an exhaustive list was made of our belongings and the fees were paid, Eric left with... no guarantee that the payment would 'go through' in time for the train today. So he was back there this morning, and we were very thankful that somehow, it all worked out! Our boxes and bags are rolling right now through Ukraine and Belarus, and will arrive tomorrow in St Pete.

Now, we're just praying that the exorbinant customs fees that Russia charges (even for used, personal items) will be fairly applied, and that the storage fees won't be too high for the week (at least) they will be in St Pete before we arrive.

And now, we can relax and enjoy seeing our friends, and selling the rest of our furniture. Anyone want a desk?

It's strange how our aprarment is beginning to remind me of when we moved in. How interesting that a place which truly feels like home felt so strange a year ago. And I find myself appreciating all the good things, and praying we have such a good washing machine, clean balconies (plural!) cabinents, and even hiding spots for hide-and-seek.

The kids are definitely acting out a bit. Some days we've had a lot of conflict, especially between Tima and Ella. They both love to grab toys from the other and run away. Then, of course, there is an eruption of screaming. The worst is when Eric and I need to talk, or have visitors looking at stuff, and the kids just descend into chaos. Once last week, Tima bit Danya. We haven't seen that behavior since... last time we moved! We're swinging between compassion and exasperation. It reminds me that the next few months will be challenging, though hopefully not as bad as last year!

Moving Plans!

We are moving to St Pete on February 16th!

After a month of uncertainty, we are excited to have all the details in place to move. Our teammates are excited for us to come join them. Cheryl Boyd and Lena Fetisova have served with us for the last two years, and now we have a new family as well—Chris and Trisha Huddleston, with sons Nate (8) and Nick (5)— The Huddlestons found a great apartment, and have invited us to live with them while we search for our own. They live very close to Petya and Angela Eding, and not far from the Gozes, Skoks, and Chersonovy! So we’re praying for an affordable (!) yet nice apartment in the same building, or at least nearby.

The boys are sad to leave here, but have been grateful for an extra month. Danya is enjoying his Saturday basketball league. And we’re spending a lot of time in the Kiev Int’l School gym next door. Most of our ex-pat friends have kids who play basketball for KCA, and most of their games are next door. In the last 8 days, we’ve been there 5 times! It’s a big contrast from last year, when we attended some games and were exhausted by the not-yet-walkin-and-very-fussy Ella. Now, Ella and Tima run around with the preschool crowd upstairs, and we are soaking in time with our friends. (Although they are often distracted by the game, for some reason!)

Although much of this last month was difficult emotionally, the highlight has been seeing our closest neighbor grow spiritually. She and I have been meeting many days to study the Bible together during our one-year-olds’ nap-times. And she and I have been attending one of our church’s small groups. It’s amazing to see how God has been leading her to Himself, and how fast she is growing in her new faith. So we’re already making plans for her to visit us, as she often comes to Russia to visit her parents. It’s amazing how close it is! This is the shortest move we’ve ever made, and people from Kiev can easily visit St Pete, and want to!

Tima's game

Yesterday, Danya went to Dominic’s birthday party. To help assuage the younger-brother-grief, Eric took Tima out for a special Daddy-time. First, though, Tima asked him to play a game with him. He used to always request to play war, but now he requested chess. Although we observe the two boys playing chess against each other constantly, Eric was still surprised by Tima’s skills. Well, relative skills for a four-year-old! Eric saw that Tima understands the basic strategy of ‘I move here, you kill me, and then I’ll kill you with this other piece.’ And, by the way, his language is truly that war-like. He often plays where one piece ‘shoots’ the other to kill it. He knows how each piece moves, but often makes small mistakes with the knights and queen. (Somehow, the queen often curves a bit in her trajectory.)

A few days ago, Tima was playing by himself, setting up a ‘check-mate’ scenario, which was the first I understood that he knew the goal of the game. One of the amazing things is that we haven’t taught Tima any of this. It has all come from Danya.

For the rest of their time together, Eric took Tima out for ice cream, and also gave him a small stuffed puppy that he had debated over at the toy store (when he decided to instead spending his allowance on a shiny sword with sheath.) That brings our black-and-white-puppy count to 9. Do you think it will finally be enough?

Tima’s plan for the Titanic:

The boys like to pretend that our apartment is the Titanic. When I asked if there were enough life boats this time, Tima claimed we didn’t need them. “We can stick our swords in the ice. And then we can climb on, and then use our light sabers to move the ice away from the Titanic.” Danya adds, “Because light sabers are very powerful.”

Rain in January

We've been enjoying freezing temperatures after a few weeks of melting. Rain in January is pretty depressing. At +1, +2 degrees C (about 34-36F) low clouds, and dripping rain, there is not much to do outside. The playground is a mess of slush and sand, with the merry-go-round and swings too wet to sit on. The roads are a mess of salty slush and water. And even the woods are too messy to push the stroller through. And the sledding hill--how depressing. After just one night of rain, it's destroyed.

The last few days have been below freezing, and with occasional glimpses of the sun! Although the forecast usually includes snow, it mostly floats around and never lands. But at least we can walk (almost skate) in the woods!

Ella’s Words

I suppose it’s just normal (but that makes it even more amazing) but we are awed at Ella’s word explosion. Every day she has new words, better pronunciation, and more grammar. Most of her sentences are 3-4 words long, and usually more than half of the words are names or possessives.

Papa, Mama Ella Ti-da bo. (Papa, Mama gave Ella Tima’s bowl.)
Mama, Ella Dada aah. (Mama, Ella is wearing Danya’s hat!)
Ella Baby No Co. (Ella’s baby’s feet [nogi] are cold.) Of course, since Ella always takes her clothes off.
Ella Papa baby gull. (Ella is Papa’s baby girl.)
Papa Ella Daddy. (Papa is Ella’s daddy.) Well, we’re guessing on the meaning of that one.