On The Walk To Church

There's not enough snow/ice yet to take Anneka to church on her sled, so this is how we travel (except for sometimes when she walks... but that doubles the length of the walk from 15 minutes to 30, which isn't our favorite option when it's windy and bitingly cold).

Leif's classes were canceled yesterday and today because of the swine flu. It'll be interesting to see when schools will be opened again. It's been nice to have Leif home a little more this week.

Right now Leif is at a men's seminar with some of the guys from our church. It is every other week and is great for the men to grow in being men, fathers, husbands, etc. I think as families grow here in strength and faith, the whole of society will be changed for the better.

A Sign On The Bus

"If you're drunk, don't make a lot of noise."

Murder Mystery Party

It was Rebecca's Birthday last weekend and she hosted a murder mystery party. It was so fun! It was all girls, so some dressed/acted like men. We didn't know who the killer was until the very end. It was a mix of Russian and English, and it actually worked out really well. At the end, one of the ladies Rebecca invited that's not a Christian said that there was such a difference between this party and the many parties she normally goes to where everyone gets drunk. She had a lot of fun and really seemed amazed by interacting with everyone.

Here are some pics:

Bobby Sox, Tiara Diamond, Johny Angel, Peggy Sue


A lovely dinner with BBQ'd chicken and pork, crisp veggies and dip, crackers and spinach dip, baked potatoes, jello salad, baked beans, root beer floats, and cheesecake and mud pie for dessert. Gardner was the BBQer and he was the one "killed" on the patio while cooking. (it was snowing outside, but we pretended it was summer). Rebecca and I were talking about how everything here takes a lot longer to make. She had to MAKE the rootbeer for the floats and MAKE the mint ice cream for the mud pie, and MAKE all of the ingredients for the baked beans. All of her efforts were thoroughly enjoyed, though!! Mmmmm.


Me and Chubby Cheddar reenacting Tom's death later to see if an accusation was probable. Adriana is pregnant, so it was perfect for making a nice middle-aged "beer belly" for her character. haha.


This picture is on Inka's blog, too, but I'm guessing she won't mind if we both have the same one. This was the limbo contest. We also had a hoola hoop contest as well as a lip sinc and dancing. Very fun! Oh, I'll post one more, just for the fun of it. It's really blurry, but it shows ACTION!!

Masks Everywhere

People all over town are wearing masks to prevent against the swine flu, which has apparently arrived. It's so funny because I wanted to get a picture of people in masks when Leif and I were out on a date last night, so I had him stand in front of me and pretended like I was taking a picture of him. But then it turns out that we KNEW the girls I was going to take a picture of, so they posed for the camera. =) All of the schools are closed this week (and next week is a vacation week for schools). Leif is required to wear a mask in his university class, but all of the pharmacies in town are sold out. Hopefully they'll get more in soon. I read that Russia predicts the swine flu will peak in December, with 5,000 people becoming infected daily. We appreciate your prayers for protection!

In other "medical news", Leif has been going from clinic to clinic to get lab work done. The university informed him last week that they needed blood work (I think for the swine flu), a separate HIV test, and a chest X-ray in order for him to continue studying Buryat. This all takes so much extra TIME!! (waiting in long lines, arriving to find out that they only test in the morning, returning the next day to pick up results, etc, etc.) He just has one more test to get, so this should just be two more trips (one for the test and one for the results). He's a trooper!

Welcome, Nettie!

Our new teammate, Nettie, arrived on Sunday! Renata hosted a dinner for her and the team last night, which was really nice. We look forward to getting to know Nettie better as the weeks progress!

Baby Angelina

Anneka is really good with names. I'm amazed at how we'll be in a crowd of people and she'll know everyone's name. Lately, she's been especially enamored with baby Angelina (and saying her name). She talks about Angelina all the time. Sometimes Anneka and I get to watch Angelina while her mom is at a Bible study on Wednesdays. Here's Anneka with Baba Ira and Angelina.



Leif took Anneka out to play basketball, and this flock of boys came to play almost instantly (usually it's a flock of teenage/college guys). Anneka is hidden in this picture (I took it from the balcony), but she had fun with everyone. I love that Leif so easily and quickly connects with different people in our neighborhood through the sports court!

Anneka's 2-Year-Old-Birthday Party

Here is Anneka after chowing down on her butterfly-shaped birthday pancakes with blueberries and strawberries. Mmmmm!



I made a butterfly cake for a little party we had later in the day.




Anneka loves money, and Inka knew this, so she got Anneka a "Moo Coo" bank for her birthday. (moo-coo is the kids' word for cow in German). Inka also gave her a ton of change to put into her moo-coo. She was in heaven.




One of Anneka's favorite new games is to twirl like a ballerina around the living room. She especially likes it if someone (here, it's Matthew) lifts her up high in the air while she twirls!



The Wickers got Anneka a couple of books that have been favorites of their family. Here, Sharon is reading Anneka "Harold and the Purple Crayon".




She felt so special when the cake came out and did a good job at blowing at the candles!



Here's a group picture from Anneka's little party. Anneka was surrounded by fun, love, and laughter.

Butterfly Birthday

Leif made Anneka butterfly pancakes for her birthday to fit the theme for her special day. Throughout the week, Anneka and I made butterflies to decorate the apartment.

Anneka With Hah-Dee

For some reason, I couldn't post all of the pictures and videos together from Anneka's birthday. So here is a clip... with more pics to come.






Anneka LOVED all of the attention she received! Here she is with Heidi. (Anneka says her name with a southern accent, "Hah-dee".)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Anneka!

Two Years Ago:


One Year Ago:


Now She's Two!



I'll post more later about Anneka' birthday. For now, she's a busy girl and a hungry girl and needs her mama. =)

Dolls in the Refrigerator

I found this in our refrigerator today. It's hard to see, but it's a tupperware container with little dolls inside. I wonder how that got there?



















Daniela's parents are visiting from Switzerland. We had their family over on Sunday and it was really nice. Anneka adores their little Maylinne (4). Anneka has been talking about her for the past three days. Leif was playing a little drawing game (pictured above) where Anneka would scribble something and then tell Leif what it was and then Leif would make it into that thing (dog, ball, etc.) It took great talent, in my opinion! I was impressed with Leif's results.



Leif's Dad and his wife sent us a game called "I Spy" last Christmas. It says it's for 3-6 year olds, but Leif pulled it down and Anneka LOVES it. As you can see above, she's really good at it too. Each little puzzle piece has a bunch of tiny objects on it, and she's able to pick out the things she needs to find. It's so fun to watch her grow and develop!

And in other news, we've been potty training Anneka this week, and I think she's getting the hang of it! Today she had no accidents (even with leaving the house three times for over an hour each). I'm hoping to get most of the training part done while our apartment is still warm. It's a lot more difficult with several layers to worry about!

Another Sign In Town

I was downtown yesterday and had my camera with me (yippee!). Here's another of the signs with Leif on it. =)

Zhatva

Sunday we celebrated Zhatva (it's like harvest day or Thanksgiving) at church. Some of the ladies decorated the church so nicely with a plethora of fruits and vegetables all over.



Lira (pictured right) gave Anneka this dress. I love it. It's really warm, made out of wool. Anneka loves it, too. The next picture shows it better.













It was 29 degrees outside when we left for church, so Anneka started out with a short sleeved shirt, this dress, tights, boots, a sweater, and her outside clothes (coat and hat). When we got to the church, it was so hot inside that we took the sweater off. Over time, she lost her dress, her boots, and her tights... and was just in her t-shirt onesie. One lady commented that she was in her swimming suit. But what were we to do? She was sweating profusely. And she was SO much happier in her onesie. We'll have to pull out the wool dress again in November or December.



We had a nice meal together after the service.



The pre-teen/young teen girls sang a song in the service, as did Leif and I. Another lady read a poem. It was a nice time.

Eating Noodles

They have a car seat law here now, so a few days ago we went out and bought a booster seat for Anneka. Since we don't own a car, we most often use it as a seat in the kitchen so that she can sit at the table with us. She loves it. Here's a clip of her eating some pesto pasta at lunchtime.

Our apartment is hot now, as they have turned on the heat. I love it. It went from 56 degrees to 85 (inside) in the period of a couple of days. The best part is that the heat in our room isn't working. I love to sleep in a cold room but be warm in the daytime. Perfect. We will not complain to the building maintenance about this one!

Grandma Violet Viola Smith

We learned of my grandma Violet's passing on Saturday. It's hard to be away from family at times like this, being able to grieve and reminisce together. I don't have many good pictures of Grandma since we've had our digital camera. It'll be good to go through old pictures the next time we're in the States. This little dog (pictured above) and another little dog LOVED my grandma and were so sad when she died. They've been looking all over for her, moping around. She loved them, too.




Grandma was sure that we were going to name Anneka "Baikal" since we lived by the lake. When she found out that we weren't going to name her Baikal, she suggested the name Jasmine Joy. I love how she said what she thought. Of course, the second she met Anneka, she loved her and called her her "little peanut".

I have many sweet memories that have filled my mind these past few days- fishing with grandma and grandpa on opening day (Grandma would squeal SO excitedly when she had a fish on the line!), running to her cookie jar that was always stocked full, sitting in the warmth of her kitchen next to the wood stove while she made something like cabbage rolls, hearing stories of how she and grandpa met and seeing how much they loved each other. I treasure these memories and am blessed to come from such a loving family.


My sister had this picture on facebook, and it makes me smile. I'm the little baby in the middle. =) My mom's parents are on the far outside of the picture and my dad's parents are on the inside. (Grandma Vi is my Dad's mom). My sister is holding my foot and my brother, David, is in front, too. And, of course, my parents are in there, too.

I love you, Grandma!

We Will Miss You, Elisabeth!!

Today we said our last goodbyes to Elisabeth at the airport before she flew off to Germany. A little over a month ago, she was offered a job as the women's dean of Brake Bible College. After much prayer, God made it really clear that she was to go. We are happy for her, as we can see God's leading and know He has good things in store. But, of course, we are sad, as Elisabeth has been such a sweet part of our lives here in Buryatia. She's always been just a few feet away (literally... living right across the hall). Now, the distance is much further.



On Saturday we had a team going away party. Rebecca made an awesome cannelloni (is that how you say it?) dinner and it was good to all be together.



The kids all gathered around the cakes, as this was the most important part of the meal. Anneka is at the age now where she plays so nicely in the other room with the kids!


Inka and I came up with Jeopardy questions about Elisabeth's life and our team divided into two groups to answer the questions. Afterwards, we had a time of sharing with Elisabeth ways that God has shone through her and many of the reasons she is so special to us. Then we prayed blessings over her during this time of transition and for this new season in her life.



Last night we had a big going away party for Elisabeth at the Central Church. Sharon was in charge of everything, and it turned out great! They(Matthew did was the mastermind behind it) put together a fantastic video with pictures and interviews of many of us from Elisabeth's life.

I was in a skit and I had to be Elisabeth! I get nervous whenever I have to speak in Russian in front of a group of people. But God helped me to remember my lines. The star of the stage was Anneka, when she acted as a messenger from God... a little angel. She perfectly delivered the message when she was supposed to and then left. Everyone loved it.



On our way home, we got a flat tire. It's a frequent occurrence here (bad roads), and made for a good laugh as it's like a little goodbye present for Elisabeth.

Goodbye, Elisabeth! We love you and will miss you! Thank you for your friendship and for investing in our lives. You have been a source of encouragement and an example of faith to us. We cherish each moment we've had with you!

An Epidemic

Leif found this video on CNN.com this morning about the problem of alcholism here in Russia. You can view it here.

Yep, it's definitely winter!

We awoke this morning to this. We broke out the Christmas music... because, what more can you do but celebrate? My feelings yesterday that it was like winter in Washington have been proven correct. Today is September 19th and our last snow was June 19th. We had a day of autumn this week and a few days of spring in June. The heat isn't scheduled to come on in our apartment until Monday. It's been pretty chilly inside.



Anneka and I needed to go the store to buy sugar, so we semi-bundled up. She's so good at walking up and down our stairs. Notice the beer bottles on the steps. I didn't even position them that way. They were already nicely spread out like that. I figure her touching the handrail just boosts her immune system.




Anneka liked feeling the snow. Ironically, just last night we read a book with a snowman in it, so this morning when she looked out the window, she immediately said "Snowman! Snowman!"


So we made a little snowman. Looking at this picture, I realize I need to pull out the next size up of snowpants. And we'll need to go winter boot shopping again! Anneka will love that. She loves boots.

A Day In The Life

I've often considered writing "a day in the life of the Gustafsons" blog, but no day is every really the same. And even things that we have planned often get changed at the last minute and replaced with new things. So I decided that I'd just write about what we did today and will periodically give you snapshots of other days in the future.

This morning we awoke at about 7:30 to little Anneka singing in her bed. Leif went and got her and we all cuddled and read a couple of books for about 20 minutes. Then Leif went and made us breakfast (waffles that we'd frozen, cut up fruit, and oatmeal) while I dressed and changed Anneka. We ate breakfast together and then Leif got ready to head off to class. (I went and visited Leif at class earlier this week and we got the above picture taken with his professor).

While Leif was in class, Anneka helped me to do laundry. We played a little game on the computer together and then she read books to me on her floor while I sorted through all of her clothes, getting rid of all of the too-small ones. At about 10:30, Rebecca came over with Michael (13 mo.) and we went outside and let the kids walk/run around while we talked.

At about 12:00, Leif came home and we all ate lunch together (leftover lasagna). Then he slipped into the living room to work on his talk for Sunday. Anneka and I finished up on the clothing project and listened to some fun music.

At one, Leif came into Anneka's room to read a couple of books with us before her nap. Then he went back to his preparation for Sunday.

During Anneka's nap, I read my Bible, worked on team finance stuff, did the dishes, made chocolate chip cookies,and worked on a super-secret project for Elisabeth who is moving away next week. (Anneka is a good sleeper).

Leif had an area counsel meeting via skype with three other men across Russia from 2:00-5:00.

When Anneka woke up from her nap, we went downtown together. We had a super-secret errand to run (once again for Elisabeth). We strolled down the walking street, and Anneka immediately noticed that the fountains were off. Yes, it feels like winter already. Not Siberian winter, of course, but like winter in Washington. We saw a sandwich board of Leif on our walk (too bad I didn't have my camera- it was a different modeling pose from my last post). We visited Sasha and Katia and then went in search of little girl hair holders, as Anneka has offically entered the pigtail stage of her life. Then we bought little rolls with meat and apple juice and sat and ate them together. Whenever someone would come in to buy something to eat, Anneka would tell me that the man (or lady) was hungry.

Then we took a bus home that was so crowded, I contemplated not getting off at our stop and waiting until it cleared out and then catching another bus back! But we bucked up and squeezed off. As we got off the bus (about 6:15), Leif called saying that he'd just finished his rough draft in Russian and was contemplating playing basketball for a little bit. I encouraged him to (he'd been sitting all day in class or meetings!). It takes a long time to walk back from the bus stop anyways... there are rocks to pick up and goats to look at and ledges to balance on. And extra stairs to climb. Once Anneka and I got up to our building, we decided to go and visit Papa playing basketball. He already had a group of guys there with him. They form a flock as soon as he goes out there!

Then we had dinner together (leftover split pea and ham soup) and Leif left a little before 8:00 for a prayer meeting at our church. (who knows how long that will be!?) I stayed with Anneka and we read a few books before she went to bed. And now I'm here. I should be doing dishes. But I don't really like doing dishes. It's more fun to write a blog. And Anneka LOVES doing the dishes with me. If I save them for tomorrow, she'll be thrilled to pull up a chair next to me and get her whole body soaked.

Anyways, this is way too long. And you are probably tired. So that's a summary of one of our days, leaving things out, I'm sure. =)

A First Glimpse of Leif's Stardom as a Model

People have been coming up to us lately, saying "I saw an advertisement where the guy looked like Leif". Or "I saw Leif on a big banner on such-and-such street". Today Anneka and I found one of the signs and got a picture for you to see. It's really true. Leif is a model!

We think it's really funny. Our friends, Katia and Sasha, recently started a school for teaching English. They wanted a face on their ads that looked like it could be from England or the States. And Leif was their choice.

Anneka was impressed to see her Papa so big on the side of this fence! I like saying that I'm married to a model.... a dashingly handsome one.

My New Wig

The other day I made an impulse buy: a wig. I had birthday money, and I would never buy a wig for myself unless I had a great excuse like birthday money. And it wasn't even expensive. It was about $17. What a deal!



Here's the side view. I can wear it poofy or straight.

Basketball Bug

This week, Anneka has been keen on picking out her own outfits. Two days ago she wanted to dress like a ladybug (pictured above). Today she wanted to wear a dress that's so small for her that it's a shirt... coordinated with funny tights that have little carrot people on them.

The guys from the rehab center re-surfaced the basketball court, so now it's nice and smooth. Leif quickly makes new friends when he has time to play out there. And Anneka always likes to go and say "hi" to Papa.

Counting Cucumbers

Leif was getting our lunch ready the other day and gave Anneka four cucumbers to tide her over, and she counted them: 1-2-3-4! We didn't know she could do this! Of course, she didn't perfectly do it for the camera, but since then she's been counting things. It's really fun.

Corn On The Cob and Electrical Challenges

I (Jami) have been really sick this week with some sort of virus. Yuck! I'm so happy to be joining the land of the living again. Thankfully neither Leif nor Anneka caught what I had. Leif wins the award for most amazing husband and father, as he let me rest and took over caring for Anneka, making meals, etc. I'm so thankful for him!!

Before I got sick, I saw corn on the cob at the market... and I've never seen it here before. I was so excited! It was a celebration to eat it a couple of days after my stomach calmed down. Anneka thought that it was interesting to chomp on.



Yesterday there was a celebration in our neighborhood. Today is city day and it's common to have little events for children in various areas of the city. We were supposed to power the event for our area from our apartment. But this is what the extension cord looked like (sticking up in between Leif and Vitya). It didn't have any piece to plug it into the outlet- just exposed wires! Leif and Vitya had 20 minutes to troubleshoot and find a solution. They ended up making an end, just in time. And we kept Anneka out of the living room. =)