A Fun Answer To Prayer

     We said goodbye to Gramma Irene today, filled with both sadness and thankfulness that she was able to come.  A year ago (after her diagnosis with stage 4 cancer), we didn't know how much more time we'd have with her on this earth.  We thank God for her health and for this special time togeter.  She feels well and her cancer is very slow growing... in fact, her numbers were down at her last doctors appointment.  A huge answer to prayer!  I know that her being her was a big encouragement to many of our friends here as well, as they see her live a life of faith in Jesus.  

     We were able to make a trip to Lake Baikal for two days while Irene was here.  It was so nice to get away from the busyness of life here and just be together.  There was snow and yet it was warm.... this was an another answer to prayer!  A few weeks ago, the girls and I prayed together that we'd be able to make a snowman this year.  All winter the snow was too cold/dry to make a snowman.  Yet, as we prayed, I also REALLY wanted it to be spring!  This trip to Baikal had BOTH- a snowman AND spring!  I love how God cares about big things and little things.  And He loves to answer prayers like being able to make a snowman.

     The first evening we arrived, we found out that dinner was at 7:00 (usually our kids' bedtime during the school year!), so we had a couple of hours to head down to the lake.  The snow was really deep in places and we kept falling through (and getting thoroughly wet!).  Ike was on my back and every time I fell through I shrieked a little, he just laughed and laughed!!  We didn't get a video of the real falling through, but here's a little clip of me pretending.  He had the giggles for the longest time.  It was so fun.

     Then the next day it was so sunny and beautiful- snowman day!!  Oh, but it wasn't a snowman... it was a snow QUEEN.  The girls enjoyed making it.

   Posing next to our snow queen

   Anneka was so proud... the tiny pinecones at the bottom are "roses" on her dress.

I loved watching Leif and his girls running together!

 

We also went to the banya  (sauna/bath house) that evening.  We had planned to do it before dinner, but the message somehow didn't get to the right person, so we did it after dinner.  It was super late for the kids, but we'd already paid for it (back when we'd planned to do it before dinner) and the kids had already gotten excited about it.  So, it truth, it turned out to be kind of disastrous.  Ella and Ike were crying most of the time and Anneka was wanting to spray and splash water but was met by cries so then she started crying.  It was very memorable.  

     So I tried to get the kids as quickly as possible cleaned up to take them upstairs where there were comfy chairs and a pool table (while we waited for Leif and Irene).  All 3 kids were cute in their banya sheets and played pool for awhile, returning to a state of happiness.   And they slept well that night!

The sleeping beauties!

     I had to post this picture because it kind of shows how things are ALWAYS busy with these kids around!  One of the kids had dropped some crumbs on the floor so I went and got a vacuum cleaner.  Isaac LOVES vacuum cleaners.  A few times a day he gets ours out of the closet and drags it all over the apartment, pretending to clean.  He also does this with the broom.  It's so funny.  Hopefully all of this practice will pay off someday and he'll be a good cleaner for us!  Currently he makes more messes than he cleans up!

Just as much as they loved playing in the snow, the girls loved playing in the sand!

Thank you, God, for this gift of Irene's visit and for special times together!

Church Work Day

     Tomorrow is Easter, so many of the members of our church got together today to clean and get the the room ready for us to start meeting in there (we haven't met in there since the major construction last summer).  Isaac spent most of the time on my back and was a really good little guy.  It's amazing how dirty everything gets here- lots of pollution in the air, lots of dirt from outside (there's no grass, so everything is really dirty),  plus the extra construction created more dirt.  Add this to no running water and scrubbing with water that quickly turns black, it was quite the process to get things clean.  I wanted to just take the big water barrels home and wash them with hot running water and dish soap and scrub them really good.  But people weren't so sure about that, as they needed the water jugs.  So I spent a long time rubbing dirty water around on them.  I do have to say that they looked way better in the end, (and one of these days I hope to steal them away and execute my cleaning plan).

     But it was so neat to see everyone coming together.  I love how work is made fun when you're with friends.  It was fun hearing Irene communicate with others with hand gestures and English.

     The kids played outside in the SUNSHINE!!  They found all sorts of things to do- making dirt balls, chasing spiders, and creating games with sticks.   It was in the 70s today.  SO NICE.  They came home totally filthy, but completely happy.

 Leif put up the molding in the new room (white decorated styrofoam).

     I enjoyed helping Yulia in the kitchen, getting lunch prepared.  Her husband almost died this week, so she filled me in on how he's doing and what God taught her through it all.  We are thanking God that he's getting better and better (still in the hospital, but he's alive!)  She's reminded that God is near and so loving and that He takes cares about all of the details of our lives.

     Ella loved the lunch of potatoes and canned meat, and she especially loved how Nathan spoon-fed her!

     So if I was really thinking, I would have gotten pictures of the JUNK and DIRT that was everywhere when we arrived this morning.  The Brubachers gave us this "after picture" of the room where our church will meet tomorrow.  It looks great and will hold over twice as many people as the old room.  We haven't had room for people the past weeks, so this is a welcome change!  We're looking forward to celebrating Easter and our risen Lord with our church family tomorrow!

Teeth

     Anneka lost her first tooth last weekend!  She'd been wiggling it for awhile and begged someone to pull it out.  I was a little hesitant as it was my first tooth to ever pull and I didn't know if her tooth was loose enough to easily pull out.  But it came out in one pull.

     And she was ecstatic!  Now she shows everyone by sticking her face in their face and smiling.  Most people just look confused.

     My life has also been focused on teeth lately, as I've made a couple of trips to the dentist while Irene is here to help with the kids.  I used to be afraid of the dentist here.  But now I've decided that I want to do all of my dental work here, as it's 20% of the cost of dentists in the States!  My cleaning/checkup was a little bit traumatic.  It took 1.5 hours to clean my teeth, and there was a lot of loud drilling noises and it was SUPER messy (the dentist had me in a paper bib, a plastic sheet, AND a towel... and he wore a whole windshield over his head and had to keep wiping it off so that he could see through.  So gross.)  But my teeth have never been cleaner.  And when they re-did a couple of fillings that I had the next week, it was so smooth and pain-free, I was very impressed.

     The dentist gave me a lesson in oral care.  He told me to use Russian toothpaste, as it's designed for the microorganisms here.  And he told me to brush three times a day (no mention of floss).  If I can't brush that often, I should eat an apple.  And if I can't do that, then I should swish tea or coffee around in my mouth.  Sounds like a plan!

     

Gramma Irene

      We're so happy to have Leif's mom here this month!  Leif wasn't able to go on the hike because if his should injury, but instead he went to Chita (a city 10-12 hours east of here) for a conference and a meeting with local leaders.  He was gone 5 days, and it was so nice to have Irene's help and company.  During that week, we got to celebrate Irene's birthday!!!  We all picked up Anneka from school and then went on a special birthday picnic.

     It's so nice to have a lot of days now that get above freezing.  Things are melting!  We all ate while Ike slept.

     Then the girls played on the playground.  Anneka had the idea to make Gramma special cakes with candles out of the sand.

 And Ella got right into this idea and loved making a special cake, too!

Ike likes having Gramma here, too.

     The girls each got Gramma presents and enjoyed watching her open them (hand cream and jewelry).

     There has been an ad in our building for take-in Chinese food, and we thought we'd try it out for dinner, as Irene likes Chinese food.  I was a little nervous to order over the phone as it's not something I have ever done here, but the lady was super-nice and understood everything I said.  And the food was really good.  Ike and Ella really loved it.  Ike loved it so much that he ate it by the serving-sized spoonful and dug his hand into the box to devour it.

After dinner we made creations with the straws and connectors.

     Anneka designed this all by herself and solicited help for putting it together.  Both girls liked hanging out inside of it.

     And Irene requested a mud pie (with imported Oreos and peppermint flavoring).  Ella happily put in the candles.

And we sang Happy Birthday... what a fun day!

      Leif is back now.  It's nice to have him home and to have moments when we're all home at the same time.  I love when there's a one-to-one adult to kid ratio (especially at bedtime!).  I feel like I'm getting more quality time with each of the kids at different moments, and they're getting special times with each of us.

We're glad that we still have more time with Irene before she has to go back to the States!

Women's Retreat

 

      This past weekend, the ladies on our team rented a little house on Lake Baikal for a retreat.  It was soooo nice to get away and have time to get to know each other better.  It was a great little house with three bedrooms (and twin beds for each of us) and an open room for meeting/cooking.  Ike still nurses, so he got to come along... lucky guy to be with all of those ladies!!  He really likes ladies.

  

     Renata, Inka, and I went ahead of everyone (and nicely synchronized the driving time with Ike's nap.)  We took a nice walk down to the lake.  It was a sunny and beautiful day!  The snow was just beautiful! 

 

     It's always amazing to see the lake frozen over.  Recently a group of guys from the local churches made a trek across the lake and back.  If you're interested in seeing some amazing pictures from their excursion, click here.

     When we were at the lake, we saw this babushka getting water (for drinking, washing, etc.) out of this hole in the lake.

Then she had to climb over these mounds of ice to get to the shore.

  She went back for a second bucket of water and then went on her trek home, with no gloves, heavy buckets, and metal handles (probably digging into her hands).  I can't even imagine it in the middle of the winter!

   
     We had a great time singing, sharing, and praying for one another.  There was lots of time to talk and get to know each other better.  Even though we're on the same team, we often are so busy with all that's going on in each of our lives and ministries that we don't have time to really connect. 

     Martina gave a couple of great devotionals from a book on spiritual warfare by Warren Wiersbe.  It gave us  a lot to think about and discuss.  It was very applicable and encouraging.

     And Ike was a good little guy.  He cried in the night both nights (which he never does!), but everyone was gracious.  I think he was just scared to wake up in a different place.  In the daytime he slept great in his stroller through all of our chatter and moving about.

And we ate great food! 

     One night Lisa heated chicken enchiladas that she'd made in the wood stove.  They were sooo yummy!  The caretaker of the house came and made fires in the stove for us.  So nice.  The caretaker also stoked the fire in the banya (steam bathhouse) and Lisa, Renata, Melly and I took advantage of it!  I just love the banya! 

I love how the ice on the lake gets pushed up from waves!

     When I got back from the weekend, Leif's mom was here!!  It's been so great to have her here this week.  Leif was supposed to be on the mountain climbing trip this week, but then because of his shoulder accident he couldn't go.  But it worked out because he was asked to go to a conference and meeting for local leaders in the city of Chita.  It took 12 hours for them to drive there, and he's gone all week.  Without Irene, it would be a hard week, but instead it's really fun!  More on that to come...

McBuryat's

     The other day Ella ran some errands with me while Anneka was at school, and we had lunch at this new fast food place called "McBuryat's".  It's really quite different from McDonalds and I'm sure they would be sued immediately in the States for their copycat logo... but all the same, it was a lovely place and a lovely little date.

     They had a meal with posies, tea and french fries.  Ella LOVES posies... they are meat dumplings (pictured above).  The fries were actually very good. (They didn't have any ketchup.) I used to think it was so gross to give kids tea, but that's a way I've changed since living here.  Now I don't even bat an eye when people give Ike tea.  It seems... NORMAL!

     Ella thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  She looked around in amazement and said, "this is a really great store!"  And she ate as much as I did!  What a little cutie.

First Day of Preschool

     There's a new preschool very near to our home, and they have a great program for kids!  Leif and I scoped it out a few weeks ago, thinking of both of our girls for next year, and then Ella and I decided to go and actually try it out.  For kids under 3 they have a program that's 1 1/2 hours long for 2 or 3 days a week... with a parent (or grandparent).  Ella was excited to go out with Mama and to pose for this picture.

     But when I told her that it was a little school, she got really sad and cried the whole walk there.  I was torn because we didn't really NEED to go, but I also didn't want her to think that by crying really hard she could get her way.  So I pushed through.  I told her that she could cry for a couple more minutes, but then I needed to take our picture, and she'd have to be ready to calm down at that time.  And she did!  =)

     They have a really great facility- it's clean and cheerful and fun!  In the 1.5 hour block, there are 3 lessons (20 minutes each) with 3 different teachers.  In between the lessons, the kids get to play in this fun room.  Ella stayed close to me the whole time, but she warmed up and it was evident she really liked it.

     I'm excited about this program for a few reasons.  One is that it's a great way to meet new people... and a lot of people that are in our similar life stage.  It's not a daycare, so most of the parents who come with their kids don't work (which is also easier for connecting with them).  In between the lessons, it's easy to talk with the parents while the kids play.  It's also a good place for Ella to get more Russian- they go over colors and shapes and animal names... all things age appropriate and good for her to learn.  Plus, it's a nice stepping stone for Ella if she goes when she's older.  She will feel more comfortable if she can go there with me first.  AND it's special time for us to have together!  I almost felt  like we were going to a little children's museum or something- a special mama/daughter excursion. Ike is also allowed to go with us without extra charge.  (That day, he was sleeping so I left him home with Leif.)

observing the other kids

     For one of the lessons they had these special tables with backlighting and sand.  The kids would pour sand into cookie cutters and make fun animal shapes.

   ... or they just played in the sand and made fun designs with their fingers.  In this picture I used the flash.

     In another lesson they had a little story about a sunshine and the kids made their own sunshine.

     Both of our girls love to make artwork!  On Wednesdays they have music lessons, too.  I'm guessing that Ella will also like that very much.

     Ta-da!  A happy sunshine and a happy girl.  We haven't gone back since Leif's accident and need to decide when we'll go back.  Leif's mom is coming for a visit soon!  That may be a good time to start up going as a part of our weekly routine.  

Hard Working Grandmas

 Every day since Anneka started preschool (except for maybe once), this lady has been outside of Anneka's preschool, chipping-chipping-chipping away at ice, sweeping snow, shoveling ice chunks.  ALL WINTER LONG.  It always amazes me how ice just forms here in the winter without snow or water to make it.  Where does it come from??  And what tedious, hard work!  And when it was -40 degrees, I could hardly bear to watch her.

It seems that the babushkas (grandmas) here are the ones designated for this kind of work.  In the States, it would be a young strong man chipping away.  So it always makes me cringe a little bit to see her working so hard in such harsh conditions. 


This lady is very friendly and seems to have such a good attitude about her job.  She seems very interested in us and sometimes asks us questions.  I wanted to get her picture this week before the ice goes away.... but it seems we'll still be safe for awhile in having ice around.  =)