The Advent Season

     December is always a special month!  We enjoy the advent season of awaiting Christ's birth (and His return), having special candlelighting/singing/Bible story time with the  kids each night, and doing something special each day for the countdown to Christmas.  This year we had to put our calendar up high so that Ike wouldn't pull it down or eat it.  In each envelope there was a special activity written for each day.  We didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the ways we had fun!

Decorationg the tree (also up high- on a table- so that Ike wouldn't eat or destroy it)

     Making Snowflakes (Anneka LOVED this and could make them all on her own without help.  She made them all throughout the season and covered our floors with tiny bits of white paper.)

Making Snowglobes

Skyping with Grandparents and doing special activities with them.  My parents read the story of the three trees and then had a craft they led the kids through.  The girls really liked it.  Irene taught the girls how to say "We wish you a Merry Christmas" in sign language.

Sleeping on the floor with the Christmas lights

Eating Indian food on the floor in the living room.

     I don't think this was one of our advent activities, but I like this picture of Ella and Ike with Lena and Nettie!

     Making  and wrapping presents and jars of hot cocoa for neighbors and friends.  Also, passing out goodies to store workers and neighbors

Making Christmas Cards

   Leif and I got to celebrate our 10th Anniversary by going to Lake Baikal! Anneka made this chain necklace for me to wear out on a date with Leif.  =)  Inka stayed with the girls overnight, and they LOVED the time with her.  She did special crafts with them and they both climbed into bed with her in the middle of the night.  Anneka snuggled up close, and Ella took over half of the bed!

We made birdhouses

... And had different friends over (this day was the Hoffstetters).

We went and saw the ice sculptures downtown and slid on the ice slides.  It was -35C that day!!

:

Anneka celebrated 12/12/12 at 12:12:12 with her English classmates

  They had had a feast for lunch and activities that all corresponded with the song "The 12 Days of Christmas"... for example, they had little muffin drums with pretzel drumsticks for 12 drummers drumming and a jump-rope game for the lords-a-leaping.

My grandparents gave us money to each pick out something at a specialty grocery store.  Leif found wraps, I got green beans, Anneka got sweet corn puffs, and Ella chose crackers.

Ike chose french fries.  It was very fun to do this as a family, and we had such incredible finds!!

Decorating Christmas cookies with the Brubachers.

     We were also all in a play at our church.  Our pastor's wife wrote a script to explain the Christmas story to people.  It's amazing how few people here celebrate Christmas (or even know what day it is!).  I took Anneka back to school on the 26th, and the teacher found it so interesting that we celebrated Christmas and this is why she missed the 24th and 25th.  I explained that it's the biggest holiday in America... practically everyone celebrates it.  This was mystifying to her.  The play was a special way to be a part of the Christmas story.  It always amazes me to think of Jesus coming to this earth as a baby and all of the miracles surrounding it.   When the shepherds in the play came and told Mary and Joseph all they had seen and heard, I thought of how that must have really been for them!  

      Advent for us is a special way for us to make Christmas traditions as a family and to draw others into it with us. We love incorporating Jesus into the special things we do and try to focus on giving to others while we're having fun.  The girls got into it, and I suspect they all of the kids will love it more and more with each passing year!   

Bundling Ike

Layer 1 (after the diaper):  onesie

I did bundling blogs for Anneka and Ella when they were babies, so it's only fair that Ike gets one, too.  To be fair, I took these pictures a few weeks ago when it was -24 degrees.  Now it's -40 (F and C meet at this point), so he'd need an extra layer all around, plus his face would be totally covered with a scarf... but you'll get the point!

Layers 2 and 3: tights and pants

     

     The poor guy was teething that day!  I never thought I'd put a little boy in tights, but they are very warm and very practical.  Ike, however, is not a big fan of the process of putting them on!

Layer 4: warm jammies with feet

Layer 5: long sleeved shirt and another pair of pants

Layer 6: warm vest

Layers 7 and 8: bibbed snowpants and hoodie

Layers 9 and 10:  double layered coat with fleece liner, wool socks, and first hat.

      I took these pictures in backwards order, so he was sleeping when I brought him in from outside.  I tried taking pictures in the other order on another day, and it was way too stressful, as he just wants to squirm and crawl away, and the girls are waiting (and sweating) all hot in their many layers!!

Layers 11:  Second hat with wool lining, scarf, wool-lined boots, and wool socks over his hands ( I couldn't find his gloves, but these are warmer anyways.  Sometimes I do two layers on his hands, depending on how long we'll be outside).

Layer 12:  Blanket and protection from the wind in the stroller (or strapped to me or Leif in the baby carrier... I like the second option because it keeps ME warmer!)

It's funny because the other day I got Ella all bundled and then Ike all bundled to go pick up Anneka from school, and I was talking myself through the process.  I found myself saying outloud, "Yay, we just have your coat, hat, scarf, and gloves and then we're done!"  When I thought about how ludicrous this was that I was ALMOST done and just had these things left, I laughed!  Both kids were crying.  When it's 83F/28C inside and you are so bundled, it's not a laughing matter.  I usually open the balcony door wide during this process.

If we're going anywhere, we have to factor about 1.5 hours to get prepared.  Of course, the getting dressed alone doesn't take this long, but other things happen.  It's different each day WHAT it is, but it's always something.  On one or two days I wrote down just a few of the things that took time to get out the door.  Here are some of them:


*  I put the garbage bag by the door to take out, and while I was getting Ella ready, Ike crawled over to it and knocked it over (all out on the floor).

* Ella loathes having her hat tied, but the babushkas yell at us if it's not tied.  So I have to choose which I prefer for that day.  When it's really cold, I have to tie it for safety of her skin/ears, and  Ella screams!  It took awhile to get it tied because she fought me.

*  After getting all dressed, Ella took her gloves off. (and the fingers of the gloves have to be "just right"... this takes awhile)

*  Ike's boots fell off several times (I finally sewed little straps onto his snowpants to keep them on).

* I gave Ella a yogurt to eat while I got Ike ready and she spilled it all over- the table, floor, and herself

*  Ike needed a diaper change halfway through his layers.

*  Some men came by to take some carpeting that we had on our balcony.  They tracked mud through the apartment.  Ella helped me clean up quickly, but she spilled water out of the bucket and got all wet.

* Ike ate part of a sponge that Ella had confiscated from the kitchen.

*  Ike bit Ella.

* The neighbor cat ran inside and I had to chase her down.

* Once we were outside, Ella wanted to be in the stroller by herself and had very strong feelings when Ike rode with her.

Every day there's something!  Life is never dull.  Now that it's -40, I haven't taken the little ones out.  Thankfully God has provided someone each day this week to be here when I need to go and pick up Anneka from school.  Today I had Anneka so covered that You couldn't see even a centimeter of skin.  She laughed and kept asking me where we were as she rode on the sled.  I kept asking her if she could breathe (with the scarf over her face), and she kept yelling, "What?", as she couldn't hear over the noise of the sled and the hat and hood over her ears.  We're making memories!

A Little of This and a Little of That

     It's hard to stay caught up with everything!  I thought I'd do a little collage-blog, and get semi-caught up.  A few weeks ago, Anneka's teacher told me that she had a "holiday" on that Thursday afternoon and to come back at 3:30 for it and I could come, too.  She said for her to wear a dress.  So, Leif stayed home with the other two, and I took Anneka... and it turns out it was a school PROGRAM that she was IN!  I guess the word for "holiday" has a couple of different meanings.  Leif totally could have come with the babies.  Oh, well.  The funniest part is that Anneka REALLY wanted to wear this dress (pictured above).  You can't see up close, but she wears it so much to play in that it has holes and is all wrinkly and has little coins that have fallen off.  But when I told her that she should probably choose another one, she was so sweet about it, that I had second thoughts.  I decided that it was really important to her and I rewarded her for her good attitude when I said "no"... that I said, "yes".  But it was really funny when the other girls were dressed in such fancy dresses that they could have gone to a ball!!  (just a few are pictured here).  It was cute to watch Anneka sing and dance with the other kids.  We're so proud of her!

     I had some friends over one afternoon when  Leif was busy with the conference.  This boy (E) had a smart phone with games on it, so Anneka borrowed my phone (standard with a simple game on it), and they played next to each other.  It was cute to watch them.  She was in her dance outfit, as she danced for the guests when they first arrived (to a Nutcracker CD my parents sent).  She tried to convince Ella to wear a dance outfit and to dance, too, but Ella would have none of it.

     And I tried to teach this girl and her mom how to play a game that some of their American friends have given to them.  I realized that my vocabulary in the realm of games is very poor!  But somehow we managed and got through it!

     This is our neighbor cat.  The girls love her and always want to leave the door open so that she'll come in.  We like to have her for visits sometimes.  =)

     THIS BOY IS INTO EVERYTHING!!!!  Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind.  "Where's Anneka's homework?"  "Oh, I found it in the cupboard with the pots and pans".  "Where's my phone?" "Oh, it's in the drawer under Ike's crib.".  "Where's the spoon?"  "Oh, it's in the toilet!"... and on it goes.  But he's very happy and he keeps us on our toes.  We can't take our eyes off of him for one second.  He started walking this week.  You can tell when he's about to walk because he'll hold onto a chair or the coffee table and then pivot and look you in the eye and smile.  Then he toddles on over with his hands up in the air and he laughs!  He's so proud and so cute!  I'll have to get a video clip.  The problem so far has been that if I pull out the camera, he immediately crawls over (at break-neck speed) and tries to grab it out of my hands.  We'll keep trying.

   On this evening, I was so fed up with toys strewn everywhere that I brought them all out in the living room, sorted them, and then hid over half of them.  The girls didn't notice for a few days!!  And now things are much quicker to pick up.  Ike enjoyed the process and hindered only a little.  

I like this picture, too.  Our happy guy.

     I usually take Anneka a little snack when I pick her up from school, as she goes several hours without anything to eat or drink, and I know she's hungry.  On this day, I forgot to pack something so I bought some crackers at a kiosk on the way.  They turned out to be really gross crackers (they were sweet), so on the way home, I gave them to the girls to feed to the pigeons.  What fun they had!  Ella loved running around and making them fly.

I like how Ella has the crackers in her mouth here.  

     Ike was strapped to me.  He likes to look out at everyone, so sometimes I'm nice and wear the carrier that's harder on my back so that he can face forward.

     This is what Anneka looks like every morning when I pull her to school on the sled.  We use that time to go over memorized riddles for school and to say what we thank God for.  I LOVE the sled, as it's fast and easy to pull.

     Today it was -35 degrees!  I'm so thankful for our very-warm apartment!!  It's literally 83F degrees inside!  (almost 29 Celcius).  We come home after wearing many layers and put on our summer clothes.  These are the days of loads and loads of laundry, that's for sure.   But at least it dries fast!

     Ella has been our little buddy lately.  I haven't gotten too many pictures of doing every-day stuff, but she loves to help do laundry and cook with me.  And she loves to play and be the one to choose what we play!  She and Leif have special Papa-daughter time together while I take Anneka to school in the morning.  They're so cute when they snuggle together!

Okay, that's enough for today!

Sledding and Working in Z-town

A couple of weekends ago, several people from our team went the Zaigraevo to help the Ratinovs in building their house.  The government gives families the equivalent of about $10,000 for having a second child (an incentive to raise the population), but it can only go towards education or in improving your home.  The R's have to have their house all closed in by the end of December to receive this money next year, so we wanted to help them out.  The kids played on sleds while the men (and woman) worked.  Here's Vera, pushing Ella on our sled.

     It was cold that day... if I remember right it was -24 degrees.  Here are the kids, pulling the sleds up the hill.  Anneka was so sweet to pull Ella, and Ella was very appreciative!

They definitely made progress on the house!

     Ike slept in the stroller.  He was dressed in many layers, but I still think I had him out too long, as his little appendages were cold when I brought him in.  He didn't complain, though, and thankfully our family all continues to be healthy!!

A Little Car Accident

     After our women's prayer time a couple of week ago, Martina and I walked outside to see this man back into our van.  He was in a hurry and totally didn't see that we had parked there.  Thankfully we weren't near the van when it happened, but we still had to deal with the repercussions.  We had the choice of waiting 4 hours for the police to come or calling an company that works with the insurance in helping you to fill out paperwork.  They come right away but you have to pay 700 rubles (about $21).  The man asked us if we would pay this, which is totally laughable, as HE hit our van!!  But we also didn't want to wait hours for the police (we had kids with us), so we agreed to pay half with him.  

     Ike, up to this point, has always come with me to the prayer meeting.  Anneka came with me that day because I took her to the ear doctor beforehand. ( I thought maybe she had trouble hearing, but all of the tests came back clear... after talking with other ex-pats, we now think it's a sensory overload thing.  Her brain has to take in so much at a time and decipher which language people are talking to her in.)  We met Martina and her boys (who'd come from school) there after riding on the bus.  A lady on the bus had given Anneka 100 rubles (about $3) and told her to go and buy a pie with it.  So while we waited for the insurance guy to come, the kids and I went and bought... lollipops and bananas.  (but Anneka saved her money for pie later).  Ike fell asleep in Martina's arms.

     Once the guy came, Martina sat in our van with the 4 kids while I filled out paperwork in the insurance guy's car.  Amazingly, I didn't feel stressed at all... it actually felt like a mini-vacation, sitting in a warm car without kids.  Ha!  I even had time to clean up some old messages on my phone.  It was really interesting watching the man take out  a stencil and draw out the scene of the accident.  I asked him how many times a day he did this, and he just laughed and said, "a lot".  And he took pictures of everything, too.

     By now, the chunk on the side of our van has fallen off, and we're waiting to find out when and how the guy's insurance company will pay so that we can get the van fixed.  But we're counting our blessings that the van is still running well, that we weren't near the van when it happened (but that we were right there to take care of the needed business), and that Martina and I were together to "divide and conquer".  God takes good care of us!

Multicultural Guests!

     A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of having guests!  This lady, Annala, is from Nepal.  The kids really liked having her around.  The first day, Anneka heard her accent and kept trying to talk with her in Russian.  When she figured out that Annala didn't speak Russian, Anneka began speaking English with an Indian accent.  We got the sense that she was really trying to be helpful, communicating so that Annala could really understand.  Cute.  The first weekend she was here, Anneka had a school project to make something out of a button.

     While I made dinner, Annala helped Anneka to make a little owl with button eyes.  (I found a pattern online and gave them all they needed)  It turned out great!  It was fun to see the display at the preschool with all of the different button projects.

     Ike took a special liking to Annala.  She spoke his language.  For many days we heard Ike and Annala, in loud voices, saying "Da-da-da-da-da!"  When she left it felt strangely quiet.  Anneka made me promise to speak to Ike in his language or else Ike would be too sad.

     One day we ate lunch downtown and took Annala and Christian to the main square.  Nettie and Renata were with us, as they wanted to hear Annala and Christian's stories.  Annala was alone as a very small child and was forced to do child labor from 5-12 years old.  She was without food and clothes in a very cold climate.  Through a series of events she miraculously ran into her sister in Nepal (a different country) and was reunited with her parents.  She didn't speak their language and they tried taking her to the temple.  She kept hearing a voice (God!) that she shouldn't go in there, and kept refusing.  She didn't know Jesus, but was introduced to Him through dreams.  The community ostracized her for not going to the temple and called her a Christian, even though she didn't know what this meant.  She rejected by almost everyone, but Christ kindly drew her to himself, and now she's 60 years old and lives for Him!  Very cool. 

      Christian was a very fun guest to have.  He has a fun sense of humor and we stayed up talking many nights about interesting things.  I loved that about having both guests- hearing their stories and learning what's going on around the world.  You will notice in this picture that there are Cheerios all around the table.  It buys me about 1.5 minutes if I spread them out a bit for Ike.  =)

          When Annala left, Anneka sobbed.  She asked if we would ever see her again, and Annala said we could see each other in our dreams.  And of course, if not in this lifetime, we will see each other in heaven!

Fun Times With Papa!

     Once a week, Leif has to spend the night at the church as a guard (a few months ago someone broke in and stole a projector and some food, so now someone has to be there at all times).  This used to be my least favorite night of the week, as Ella went through a stage when she was waking up in the night again... and if she woke up while I was nursing Ike, then I had to choose which child to leave crying.  But NOW, not only are Ella and Ike sleeping better, but Leif takes Ella with him.  She LOVES it.  Anneka and Ella both went a few weeks ago, as there was a Russian holiday so Anneka didn't have school the next day.  

 

 The girls liked playing on Dyedye Denis's tractor.

 

     The three of them hung out together while the youth watched a movie and had a discussion in the main room.  Or maybe this picture is of breakfast the next morning.  But they did both.  =)

     And the best part- snuggling together after making beds out of the pews!

     Not too many guys would take their kids with them to a place with no running water, an outhouse, and no beds... but Leif does!  And our whole family is grateful!

As an end note, I can't remember if I mentioned this in another blog, but Leif saw the man who broke into our church on the bus one day.  The guy was wearing Leif's hat (he had kept it at the church for a work hat), and when Leif asked him where he got his hat, the guy got really nervous and fidgety and wouldn't answer him.  And then once they got off the bus, the guy walked away as quickly as possible.  Leif called a couple of guys from the church to see if there's anything he should do, but they said enough time had passed and they couldn't prove anything so to let him go.