Welcome Back, Leif!

Anneka and I had a fun and busy week while Leif was in the States. After our Russian guests left, we had multiple invitations to lunches/dinners with teammates and we had a couple from church over. We hung out outside a lot, too. This is at the playground near the Wickers. Sharon, Heidi, and Matthew all came outside to play with us!



On morning Rebecca came over with Michael. Anneka really liked him, and gave him kisses. They are nine months apart.



Anneka LOVES this pink snow suit (for next winter). She always wants to wear it, but it's SO HOT. So I came up with a compromise. Her Raggedy Anneka gets to wear the snowsuit. Anneka is satisfied with this. She loves to play with Raggedy Anneka and likes it when I fix both of their hair, feed them both and change her doll's diaper.



Even though the week was good, we were so excited to go to the train station yesterday to meet Papa!



Welcome home, Leif! We love you!!

Going For A Ride

Today Anneka and I were downtown and we walked by a little amusement park that's set up for kids when the weather is good. The lady who ran the ferris wheel convinced us to go for a little ride. Anneka was delighted and we got our picture taken. Afterwards, the lady invited us to ride on the flying airplanes while we waited for our picture. But the funny part is that she buckled Anneka in (only around her waste and it could hold two kids in there) and I was about to climb in behind Anneka and she said, "no, it's just for kids"... and then Anneka was off, flying by herself, up in the air. My little baby. She looked kind of perplexed and confused as to why she was up in the air and her mama was on the ground. Every time she looked like she was getting sad, I told her to push a little button on the steering wheel that played music. And then she was fine. So funny. It's a bummer because my camera's batteries ran out of juice so I couldn't capture the moment. I had the lady stop the ride a little early. I kept having vision of her climbing out of her seatbeat (totally possible) and flying in a different way. I was ready to jump in and catch her, if need be. Thankfully, our little flying daughter is as safe and happy as can be!

The Bread Man and Thankfulness

My Dad took a lot of great pictures while he was here- things from our daily life that I don't really think about anymore because it's so normal. The bread man comes every morning at about 8:30 to the little store below our apartment. He brings in crate after crate...and often by the end of the day the store is sold out of bread. It is definitely a staple here in Russia. And because it doesn't have preservatives in it, it really should be eaten quickly before it turns hard as a brick.

Something else our little store has that I never buy is Nestle cocoa cereal. (It's like cocoa puffs). Of course, I know that this is not the healthiest way to start the day. And I would never eat them all of the time. BUT it is a very fun (and tasty) splurge while Leif is away. Of course now that I'm writing this, he'll know my secret. But he won't be mad. He'll just think it's kind of gross that I ate them for breakfast.

I made the mistake of eating my cocoa puffs with Anneka while she had her oatmeal with raisins. Normally I eat muesli and she asks for some of mine and I put it in her bowl with her oatmeal. She just likes to be involved with what Mama and Papa are eating. So, I was in this dilemma about the cocoa puffs because I really didn't want her eating them but I also didn't want to be weird and not share when I normally do share with her. So I told her to eat a bit of her oatmeal first and then I put one cocoa puff in her bowl. After she tried it she was so thrilled! And the normal response would be to whine a little and beg for more. But this day, she so sweetly said "thank you, thank you, thank you" in her little baby voice. (along with the sign language). This was the first time I'd ever heard her say this and it warmed my heart. And when she politely asked for more, it made me WANT to share more. So after every few bites of oatmeal, I plopped a puff in her bowl and was met each time with the sweetest "thank you, thank you, thank you". It made me think of how happy God must be when we think Him for his gifts and His goodness. When Anneka says "thank you" I feel as if I would give her the world if I could.

Wipeout!

This slide in our playground just goes straight into the ground (and is super-fast), so this scene is a common one. I turned off the camera a little to soon, though!

Anneka just loves other kids. She chases after them, and most don't mind at all. This girl even held hands with her, to her delight. This picture was taken a few weeks ago but on any given day, she's talking with the kids (calling most of them "baby", even if they're nine) and squealing with joy. She's definitely a social butterfly. If we've been inside too long on any given day, she brings me her shoes as if to say, "I'm ready mom." And if I don't respond right away, she brings me my shoes, too. How can I say no when she makes it so easy for me? =)

Speaking of kids, there's a girl (about 12 or 13) who calls us on our domaphone each day (sometimes multiple times a day.) This is the phone connected to the outside lower door that rings for us to let visitors in. Leif and my mom met this girl through the neighborhood after-school club. Today she called and asked if we need a dog. I heard a little puppy whimpering in the background. Usually she wants to know exactly what Leif is doing or what Anneka is doing or how is Linda (my mom). I get frustrated because the domaphone is so loud and I don't want it to wake up Anneka. And this girl frequently will call during nap or bed time. And sometimes she even calls our neighbors, asking where Leif is. Anyways, I popped in at the club last Thursday and saw the girl there. She kept giving Anneka breakable things that I didn't want her to play with and I left SO annoyed. This girl definitely tries a person's patience. Anneka and I left and on the way home a song kept going through my head. It's from a CD I ordered for Anneka that has Bible verses put to music. Anyways, it went "let the little children come to me and do not forbid them for such is the kingdom of heaven". It hit me that I wasn't very kind to this girl at all. She's just hungering for love and attention and all I've given her is brief, annoyed responses. My heart changed at that moment. And today when she called, asking if I wanted a dog, I was able to laugh and ask her questions and let her be the one to end the conversation. I'm thankful that God's word is living and active. I pray that He makes me more and more into a person who shows His love.

Just Like Leif

Everyone says Anneka is just like Leif. Yep, it's true!

We Love You, Papa!

Leif left this morning for a conference in Michigan. Right now we have houseguests, but after they leave, I'm sure our apartment will feel very empty (especially on the heels of my parents leaving). It's hard to explain these things to an 18 month old! I love this picture of Leif and Anneka. She just LOVES her Papa. I think he's great, too. We love you, Papa!

I had this great idea that while Leif was gone I would just live off of the small amount of money in my wallet (about $30). I don't eat as much when he's gone, and I thought it would be a fun challenge. Well, I lasted about two hours! Anneka and I made an excursion to a big store that's kind of like a Sears (but smaller) and bought a freezer! I'm so excited about this. It will make life so much easier. Now, when we find things like green beans, peas, broccoli, and french fries we can stock up (these are hit and miss at the stores... can be here for a couple of months and then gone for a few). Also, I can store more things like berries and zucchini when they're ripe this summer. Mmmm. And I can make double the meals when I cook (lasagna, soup, enchiladas, etc.) and it'll make life tons easier when we have guests. And Leif likes to make quadruple batches of waffles so that we can pop them in the toaster later. Anyways, our old freezer (above the refrigerator) is teeny-tiny and is always crammed, but now we can have more space. Yippee!!




There's a Russian family from Chita (next big city to the east) staying with us for a Conference. Anneka LOVES Pasha, their 5-year-old boy. Yesterday, when they left for the day she cried these huge sobs and didn't stop for like 5 minutes. Then she kept talking about the "boy" all day. She was SO happy to wake up this morning and see him!!



I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. Every person is unique!

We thought we'd be having two other guests, too, so Leif and I moved into Anneka's room to free up our bedroom and the living room. When we realized the living room was available, we offered for Pasha to sleep in there but his parents thought he wouldn't be comfortable away from them. I offered to set up a bed on the floor of their room for him and the conversation went something like this:
Me: Would you like a mattress for the floor for Pasha?
Yulia: What?
Me: A mattress. For the floor. For Pasha.
Yulia: On the FLOOR? No, he'll sleep in the bed with us.
Me: Is that comfortable for you?
Yulia: Yes, of course, the bed is big.

It was then that I realized that it is kind of an American thing to want lots of space for sleeping. Leif and I can't even sleep with a 1 1/2 year old in our bed! She takes up as much room as Leif does!! Even staying in the same room with her has been a challenge. The last two mornings she's woken up before 6:00 and as soon as she spotted us, she got SO excited and wanted out of her crib immediately to play. Silly girl.

A Ton Of Pictures

Today we sadly said goodbyes to my parents at the airport. It was a wonderful three weeks! Here are some more snippets of our time together.



Anneka has enjoyed time outside with any and all of us. She cries when we come inside and says "walk, walk!"



We had to take a picture of the sweet smiling baby.




And here's the picture we took!



My dad hung out with a lot of our drunk neighbors, talking with them (and sketching this guy). They liked Dad even though he didn't give them any money nor did he drink with them. As we were leaving for the airport this morning, one of my Dad's friends came over to shake hands and say goodbye.



Anneka's grampa taught her all sorts of bad habits.



This monument stands at our bus stop, near our apartment building.



This is the nice lady (Galina) at the market who gave Anneka her spring hat. I saw her today and she told me I must go home immediately because Anneka wasn't wearing long underwear. She was serious, too! So Anneka and I snuck around the market so she couldn't see us. Anneka's fine, I assure you. It's been warm (yesterday was 75 degrees!) Galina was happy to meet my mom.


Dad gave Heidi an art lesson one day. She's very talented!



This is a little fort at the playground in our yard.



This is from one of the days that we walked around downtown. There's a walking street called "Arbat" here that I really like (named after the one in Moscow).




One day we went to the ethnographic museum. This was outside the old believers' complex.



Riding on the bus. Anneka likes to hold onto the pole.



A zoo with animals that live in this area. The bears were really big! People feed them food all of the time (ice cream cones, candy, etc.)




A guy at Lake Baikal who was getting water for his dacha (summer cabin/garden plot). My Dad had Leif ask him some questions. It turns out he lives in Ulan Ude.




Playing at Lake Baikal


Anneka stayed the night in my parents' room one night at Baikal. She woke up early in the morning, so they moved her into their bed and she fell back asleep.
My mom will probably be embarrassed that I'm posting this picture, but I think it's SO sweet!!




Out for a walk near our apartment.




A local artist that Dad met and visited his studio. Dad bought this print from him.

Thanks for making the trek, Mom and Dad! We had a wonderful time and love you very much!!!

A Sunny Day and Siberia Impressions

Today was SUCH a nice day- sunny, warm, and totally spring! This picture is right in front of our apartment building.



Leif and Dad played basketball with some of our neighbors and friends.


Anneka wanted to play, too, but she didn't always get to.



I'm SO happy that winter is OVER!!!



Leif talking with a friend he met through the sports court.




Anneka loves other little kids. She's very social. When she saw two Buryat girls in the playground, she squealed and ran over to them. They kind of liked having a baby around.



It's been so great to have my parents here!! It's so sad that they leave in just over a day. I asked them to give some of their impressions of their time here, and this is what they said....

Mom: I have cherished this time with our 1 1/2 year old granddaughter!! Leif and Jami are such wonderful parents and it's fun to see them interact as a family. I was here 8 months ago, and at that time, I dealt with culture shock and was grieving the fact that Leif, Jami, and Anneka lived across the world. This time was so much better, as I had time to process through a lot of that. Each day has been so full of activity! Culture, spending time with friends, reading books to Anneka, and seeing their daily life has been a big part of this trip. I know that this is where God wants Leif, Jami, and Anneka and where they are supposed to be.

Dad: This has been a wonderful trip! The highlight, of course, has been spending time with Anneka and Leif and Jami. Before I came, I knew that Buryats lived here, but I have really been impressed by how distinctive this area is culturally and historically. I expected to see many more white faces, but there are really more asian faces than white. Also, there are no fat kids. I also have been impressed by the public transportation system! It's so easy to get around. It's great. I had the opportunity to visit a local artist in his studio and to sketch two of Leif and Jami's beautiful friends. I love the food and the markets. I could spend every day in the markets. It's not hard to make friends here. Even though I don't speak Russian, I feel like people are friendly and easy to talk with. There are a hundred things that have impressed me that I could talk about. I've thoroughly enjoyed these weeks!

Easter Egg Hunt

Anneka knew immediately what to do for the egg hunt like an old pro! We were all amazed. We hid chocolate eggs as well as "resurrection eggs" that we opened after the hunt and reflected on Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Don't look too closely at the windowsill dirt. I spent two hours JUST cleaning windows before my parents came (several buckets of dirty black water) but it's impossible to clean them completely. Our theory is that it's really dusty here because there are no lawns. And speaking of grass, now is the season for burning any and every piece of grass/field/bushes. The air has been thick with smoke and it's black everywhere where the fields have all burned. I'd forgotten this about April. It'll be nice when the burning is done!




Anneka loves wearing all different types and sizes of clothing. Here she is in Leif's shirt.


And here she is in my mom's pants. I'm not exactly sure of the story but I found this picture on her camera. I wonder what else goes on when Leif and I aren't looking!





And this is my new favorite dog in our neighborhood (sorry, Muffy!). It's a mangy poodle that runs around all of the time. Anneka likes her, too.

He Is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter! It was such a gift to have my parents here to celebrate Easter with us. In Russia, we celebrate on the orthodox calendar, which is a week later than in the States this year. Yesterday, Mom, Anneka and I dyed eggs together. It was a lot of fun. My mom made these matching aprons as a gift for Anneka on her 1/2 birthday. I love them!!






This year our little church joined with it's "mother" church (the one we sprouted from) for the morning service and then we joined up again at our little church for a potluck at three. The day was full of music, praise, and celebrating that Jesus is risen!



Anneka did SO well sitting through a long morning church service. She slept through most of the potluck in her stroller outside and when she awoke she was ready to eat lots of bologna. It's her favorite food recently.

Yesterday Leif and my dad visited a local artist and his studio. They really enjoyed the day. I don't have any of their pictures yet. Right now Leif is playing games with people from church. When he gets home we'll have an egg hunt for Anneka... and we'll hopefully have more pictures tomorrow!