From Hats to Friends

     It's very important when you live in Siberia to have a different hat for each season.  Now that we're officially in spring (which still often involves snow but doesn't usually dip below 0F), we need to be wearing spring hats.  We have a neighbor who always has really cute hats.  I got into a conversation with her one day, and found out that she makes them herself!  It was perfect timing, as we didn't have spring hats yet (and the ones from last spring are thoroughly worn out).  She came over and let the kids help in desiging their own special hats.
    


     Ike's was the first one she made- an Angry Bird hat.  When she brought it, she showed us a couple of other hats that she's made for kids, and the girls put them on for the picture.  =)


 
     The cool thing from all of the hat making is that this lady is becoming our friend and has now been over to our apartment several times, and we've had some good conversations.  When Anneka had her spring performance for Butter Week, she came with her daughter to watch.  Butter week is the week before Lent, and Easter is very late here this year... not until May!  I'm not sure exactly all that butter week entails, but I know many people make thin pancakes, and in Ella's class at school they lit a doll on fire.  Hmmmm....


     But back to Anneka's performance, when we got there, Ella saw several of her friends from kindergarten and was sooooo excited.  They happily made room for her to share chairs with them for the performance. 

 
     Part of the perforance entailed bringing up volunteers from the audience for various games.  Ella and her friends went up, and she was thrilled to win a piece of candy!  The performance was long, and by the end, these little girls (with Ella leading the way) were up on stage with the dancers.  I had to crawl up there to tell Ella that that wasn't appropriate!

 
       Ike was happy snuggling on Papa's lap, and Bruce enjoyed coming with us, too.


     Our neighbor took this picture of Anneka and her daughter afterwards....



.... and she gave Anneka this doll that she crocheted as a special gift.


      Here's how Anneka's hat turned out! 


      And here's Ella's specially ordered hat.  I love how their hair pokes out of the top.

 
      We took these pictures at the ethnographic museum.  We went on a little family excursion there one evening.  It started blizzarding in the middle of the time and the wind was CRAZY cold.  But our kids are tougher than Leif and I are.  They could have stayed there forever!

 
     Our neighbor likes our pet rat, and she used to have a pet rat herself.  She even slept with it!  Of course, now Anneka wants to sleep with her rat, too.  ;)


     She also brought several plants to give to Anneka as a gift.  Anneka LOVES plants!  This lady knows just how to speak her love languages.  =)  We're thankful that from a simple conversation about a hat, we now have a new friend!