"Hey guys, I have an idea. Let's go to a playground and we can play". Great idea, Anneka. The weather was so nice on Sunday. We had to run errands after church. (we've been making multiple trips to the hardware store lately for things like parts and paint for the workers who are fixing up our new place). The girls had been patient, but it was time to be outside! A famous supermodel in Russia funded a really nice playground that we like to go to when we're in the area. And on Sunday, the amusement park next door was open. I'd been wanting to ride the ferris wheel all summer, and this was our chance!

It went really high up and had no seatbelts. I was thankful that Leif held squiggling Ella. Anneka enjoyed the ride and the view!

And last Saturday was really nice weather, too. The girls and I went to the ethnographic museum with my new friend, Ira, and her son, Sasha. The kids fed the goats, and Ira even fed a bear! That's something you don't see in America! I was thankful for this time to be outside before winter officially sets in. It was also a nice reprieve in the middle of our packing and preparing to move.

Leif took apart our bed today. We don't know the exact day yet, but we'll be moving our furniture into our new place early this upcoming week (could be as soon as 2.5 days away!) It's a little tricky because the work is not yet done in our apartment. But we have to move out of this one, and that's when the guys from the rehab center can help us and let us use their truck. We've had some interesting things happen- paint dyed the wrong color, the wrong tiles delivered (and we didn't know it until they were already pasted on the wall for the backsplash), being a little short on flooring and then the store being all out (but miraculously finding it somewhere else), etc. I'm realizing that the more time goes on I don't even care about the mistakes.... I just want to settle in and be done with it! As you can see above, Ella is a little "helper". She took the laundry off the drying racks at least three times today, she climbed in the boxes I was trying to pack, she screamed and dramatically cried while I vacuumed, etc. The poor girl has a cold and is a little on the wild and temperamental side. Sometimes I wonder how we'll make it out of our place in time, though! And then today when I started working ahead for a lunch I need to make for everyone at church on Sunday (together with Katia) all of the water shut off. And my hands were all goopy with zucchini. It's just one of those days.

But on a happy note, the girls have been playing together more and more. They love to take food out of the pantry and bring it into the living room for a picnic. I'm so glad that I allowed this (I almost didn't let them when I first saw it happening). They are entertained for so long and it's so cute. And Ella's the one who takes the food out to Anneka- one item at a time. Praise the Lord for little blessings!