... and some more celebrations!

     February is often a hard month here.  It's dark and cold, it feels like spring will never come, and there's a spiritual heaviness/oppression that we feel more than at other times of the year.  We are thankful to have some special celebrations throughout the month, and praise God for these times of brightness in the middle of the winter.

     We celebrated Leif's birthday as a family and made him his favorite kind of cake- German chocolate.  His birthday was right in the middle of guests and meetings, so we kind of had to celebrate in pieces over a couple of different days.

      This week Leif and I went on a date to celebrate his birthday.  I had told him that his present was a new shopka (hat).  His other fur one had lasted a long time (over 10 years), but then the moths got to it.  He's been going through the last two winters with just a stocking cap- brrrr!  We found this ridiculously awesome hat.  The back part is leather and the fur part is fox.  We didn't notice that it smells like meat until we brought it home.  Hopefully the meat smell will go away soon.  =)  We had one warm day where it got up to 12F (-11C), but then it got back down to -28 again.  On that "warm day" I got the kids outside twice, and it was so nice to feel our faces.  When it was cold again the next day, my heart sank.  I've been thinking a lot about spring and how it still comes every year, even when it feels like it never will.  In the same way, we have the hope of heaven after this life.  God has amazing things in store!  He is faithful and we can trust Him.  Spring always comes after winter.

     This year Leif got a special package online (gifts from parents) so that he could watch NFL games.  Because of this package, he was able to watch the football games only a couple of hours after they ended.  This turned out to be extra-special, as our team- the Seahawks- made it to the Superbowl this year!!  We hosted a Superbowl Party for those on our team who wanted to come.  We put up decorations, and the kids made signs.

     Nettie made this incredible cheeseball (in the shape of a football).   She's from New York and didn't know who she would root for.  But after Ella gave her a Seahawks picture she'd colored and then we told her that the Seahawks had never before won a Superbowl, she decided to cheer for them, too!

     We put up a sheet and projected the game on the wall.  At first the game wouldn't load.  This had happened once before in the season and Leif couldn't watch the game until the next day.  We prayed and right away it started.  We're thankful for that gift from God!  It was fun because Art was a Colorado fan.  It is always a little more interesting when you can cheer against each other.

     Ike was too-cute in Leifs Seahawks hat and his Mr. Potato Head glasses!  And it was SO great when our team won!!!   Yay, Seahawks!

          We had some special family times on Valentine's Day.  Leif took Anneka out for lunch after picking her up from school.  She ordered a kitty cat made out of buckwheat.

     While they were gone and Ike was sleeping,  Ella and I had a sweet mother-daughter tea time.  She was sooooo happy the entire time, and said, "We have the best flamly in the whole world!"  I definitely agree!

     Throughout the week leading up to Valentine's Day, we put little notes to each other in these pockets that we made.  We shared with each other things that we appreciate and love about each person.

     It was encouraging to read what each person said, and a special time to share with one another how much we mean to each other!  What a gift that God gave us love!

...and more guests!

     Soon after our guests from Chita left, we were blessed to have John and Sharon stay with us!  They are very special to us, and we miss having them here with us in Ulan Ude all of the time.  (so we soak up any minutes we get with them when they visit).  They came bearing gifts... like brown sugar and decaf black tea and jewelry and a soccer guy for the kids.  Our kids loved their time with them! 

     Ella had picked out special ice cream from the store for dessert, but John and Sharon came home after Ella had gone to bed.  So we took a picture of them enjoying Ella's ice cream. 
 

     We also got to play a game (Rat-a-Tat-Cat) together.  Ella liked being on Sharon's team and Anneka on John's (Ike was sleeping). 

 

     We so appreciate John and Sharon's leadership and wisdom.  Because they've lived in Siberia while raising three kids, they understand firsthand many of the challenges that we face.  It was definitely encouraging to have them here.  We look forward to seeing them again this summer at a SEND conference!

Guests

 

 

 

     Recently, we had some guests from Chita (the next large city to the east of us) come and stay with us.  They were here for a meeting of many pastors church leaders from Buryatia and the Chita region.  We didn't know if there would be anyone staying with us until the day they came, and even then, we didn't know how many.  It turned out to be 3 men the first night and 5 the second. =)  The kids enjoyed interacting with them.  It's really fun that Anneka knows Russian from going to kindergarten here, as she can tease and express what she wants to communicate.  

 

 

 

     Our family has been trying to be more creative with playing games in the evenings.  On this day, Leif had been at the meeting all day.  The kitchen flooded (right after I gave the kids fudgesicles... needless to say, my attention was not on keeping chocolate drips contained).  Right after we got the kitchen cleaned up, the kids and I played a game where I had written a bunch of silly things to do on fish that were in a box.  In turn, we'd each draw out a fish and do the silly thing.  Well, the men arrived while we were playing.  The man in the orange shirt began playing with us.  The first fish he drew was to "jump on Mama's bed 10 times".  haha.  He loved the game, and the kids loved sharing it with guests.  Pretty soon more men came over and we all had fun playing together.

 

 ... and singing silly songs...

 

 

 ... with silly motions!

 

 

      And we sang some praise and worship songs, too. 

 

     The next day there was a big meeting here.  There were ten men in the meeting, and I made lunch for them.  The funny part is that I had just assumed there would be about four men (with three being foreigners), so I just made minestrone soup and put it in the crockpot that morning.  Minestrone soup is TOTALLY not Russian.  I think it's probably very weird to most people here.  We were gone all morning, greeting John and Sharon at a welcome breakfast.  We got home one minute before 1:00 (when the meeting was to start), and I knew I needed to make something to go with the soup.  Lunch is the big meal of the day here, so you need to have soup and then a second course.  I had planned on making some toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, but when I went to the bread stand, I ran my idea past the lady there.  I told her that we were having a bunch of people for lunch and asked if I could make ham and cheese sandwiches as the second course.  "Of course not!", she said.  Yikes.  So I quickly ran home and made some noodle/ham/cheese thing as well as the toasted sandwiches.  It's so nice because I put on a video for the kids and they ALL sat and watched.  Even two months ago, Ike wouldn't have sat for that.  And four years ago, this would have all totally stressed me out, but it doesn't now!  I love how God grows us.

    

     The meeting was an important one and it went really well.  It's encouraging to see/hear how God is working in people's hearts and how He's at work here!

White Month

 

     February here is known as "White Month".  Most Buryats hold various celebrations, family gatherings, and attend national concerts during this time.  It is a time of new beginnings.  We like to use this time to pray for the people here and to grow in our understanding of Buryat culture.  On Saturday, we had a time of prayer and celebration for the Buryat people.  It was so cool, as there were people from Russia (Buryats), Japan, Korea, Finland, Germany, USA, Armenia (I think), Romania, and Switzerland represented.  We ate white foods (a Buryat tradition) and enjoyed fellowship with each other.

 



 

     This group meets once a month, and Leif helps to lead the time.  Usually he shares a little something from the Bible before people pray for different regions within Buryatia.

 

 

     The kids played in the kitchen during the prayer time.  I loved these little Buryat dolls that Ella was playing with.  =)

 

     Then, last night the Brubachers hosted a "White Night".  They've been reaching out to a Buryat girl that they met in their neighborhood.  She came over and helped prepare posie (meat dumplings) and explained a lot about Buryat traditions.  Lucky for us, she asked if "Leif's family" was coming, and we got invited, too!  =)

 

 

     Martina made a bunch of white foods, including these cheese cakes, with the Buryat words of celebration for Sagaalgan (White Month).  I asked "E" (this Buryat girl), the meaning behind white food and she said it was a sign of a fresh start -everything being clean and new (and getting rid of the old).  Leif has heard that traditionally in February it's hard to find foods with a lot of vitamins in them, but milk products have vitamins, so people would eat a lot of milk products to try and make it through the winter. 

 

 

     Our little friend, Ilya, was there with his parents and uncle.  Ike always asks to hold him! 

 

 

     We played a game of Yahtzee (here, Leif is explaining the rules).  We had a fun time, and I pray that those who don't yet know God could see the light of Him in our lives. 

 

     While there are a lot of good things with White Month, there is also a lot of evil (people calling on evil spirits, etc).  It often feels very dark to us, and often it is a month when our kids have more bad dreams and seem to be more emotional.  We appreciate your prayers for our family.... for protection and for the light of Christ to shine through us.

Two Is The Number Just For You!

     Our little guy recently turned 2!  We had a nice family day at home.  The kids all made the cake together with me, and then the girls insisted on making the frosting and decorating it all themselves.  So I let them have the reigns.  They wrote "I love you, Ike" in blue frosting.  =)  He liked it.

     

     Ike got three new Nerf balls as a present, so we played various fun games with the balls (and a hoola-hoop) in our living room.   Ike also picked out his own present from his grandma- a race track with cars.  We all had fun assembling it and putting stickers on it (so much fun that I forgot to take pictures).  And we made pigs in a blanket (one of Ike's favorite).

     Ike is such a fun boy!  He's very sweet and quick to say "Okay!" if we ask him to do something.  He likes to do things all by himself, which sometimes makes big messes... BUT it is also very handy if he wakes up thirsty in the night.  He just goes to the refrigerator and gets himself something to drink.  =)  If he has a dirty diaper  he'll bring us a diaper and wipes.  One night I awoke to Ike standing on top of our bed, holding a diaper and wipes out.  It was both startling and funny. 

     I thought I'd show a few shots of our guy in action.  He's always on the go.  He rarely walks and usually runs everywhere.  He's very expressive and loves to laugh.  And loves to tease.  Here, he was guarding a package we'd gotten in the mail.

     Ike loves-loves-LOVES to help me in the kitchen.  He especially loves to use the electric beaters and the food processor.  I let him hold the beaters by himself and he's beside himself with glee.  I don't, however, let him use the food processor by himself.  And if I have to leave the room for even a few seconds, I always unplug it and take it off of the base.  Because he's smart and fast and loves that thing.  Here, he helped me make some scalloped potatoes.

     ... and here he's "helping" roll dough for pigs in a blanket.  If we buy them at the store, he promptly peels the bun off of the hotdog, says "garbage" and runs to the garbage and throws it inside.  But if we make them at home, he likes the bread part, too.

     I love this picture, because as I was taking it of the girls, Ike was in the background climbing the bookshelf.  Of course, I didn't tell HIM that I love this picture, as he's not supposed to do that.

      Sometimes Ike will get something in his mind and he's very persuasive that it should be this way.  For example, on this day, he really wanted a fork (and had gotten it out of the drawer himself) with his cereal.  It did not matter that the milk was dripping through the tongs.  

Ike loves playing with Papa...

   

... and on Papa!

     There is never a dull moment with Ike around.  We love him so much and are so amazed that God gave him to us!   God knew that our family needed him.  Happy Birthday, Ike!  We love you!

.... and a few more pictures from Thailand

     I feel like every day just zips by and I hardly have time to do ANYTHING extra (like blogging).  But there are a bunch of things I want to blog about, so hopefully I can catch up.  I wanted to post these last pictures from our time in Thailand in November.  After the conference, we took a week of family vacation (Leif's mom was with us).  We made some special memories! 

    
     The first time I ever came to Russia, it was on a summer team with Campus Crusade for Christ.  Kim Meeker (pictured above) was on that team.  We became fast friends and ended up living together in Kyzyl (another Siberian city) for a school year after college.  She is so special to me, and she now lives in Bangkok with her husband and darling little son!  They made the several hour trip to come and visit us where we were staying (Dolphin Bay) for a weekend.  It was so nice to meet her family and to have sweet times talking together.  I cherished every moment!!

     Everyone in Thailand was so nice to our kids, and people were always giving them presents and fruits.  Here Ike was with a banana someone gave him.  There was one lady that gave Ike several cookies before we ate dinner one evening.  Boy, was he a happy guy!!  I just loved eating meals right on the beach.  We found a little stand that had papaya salad for about one dollar and chicken kabobs for about 30 cents.  And it was right on the beach next to these great tiled tables and benches.  As soon as we found this place, we ate there every day for lunch!

One day we took a boat to Monkey Island.  And boy!- was it aptly named!!  Our guide had brought a big bunch of bananas for it.  When we pulled in, Leif was holding the bunch, and the monkeys started leaping up into the boat and onto him.  In this picture, he's holding Anneka with one arm and the bananas with the other hands.  It was fascinating and funny and creepy all at the same time!

     I was the only one without a hat, and this monkey jumped onto my head and was picking through my hair.  I didn't want to make any sudden moves it case he was a biting monkey.  Anneka WANTED a monkey on her head.  So we kept trying to get him to move along her way!

     Here, Irene got a turn with a monkey on her head.  Ella liked watching all of the monkey excitement but was very happy to not touch them (or have them touch her!)

And Anneka got her wish!  A monkey on her head!

She started to feel uneasy when the monkey started picking and wouldn't get off.  And then the monkey behind her started pushing her... and was actually moving her along the rocks.  That was when I got protective and said it was time to go.  We had Anneka stand up, and the monkey stayed on her head.  But we were able to shoo it away and get safely on the boat.

     Then we enjoyed a lovely ride around another island, enjoying the sunshine and the water!

 It was so special that Inka took a week of vacation in the same place as us!

     The place where we stayed had free kayaks for us to use.  There were no life jackets, but the water was really shallow until far out.  So all of us adults could easily stand up and save kids if we tipped (which, thankfully we didn't).  We had fun taking turns and rowing along the shore.

     During the conference, everyone went on an elephant ride one afternoon.  Leif had Anneka and Ike with him.

     It was really fun for the kids!

     Ella was with me, as well as a girl from another family at the conference.  Ella didn't say a single word the entire time.  But I definitely think she enjoyed it.  At one point our elephant got mad and stood up on it's hind legs and howled (or whatever it is that elephants do).  It was a little crazy to be rocked back like that!  But we fed him some bananas and all was well.

     Leif had an opportunity to go fishing one morning with a missionary from western Russia and his son.  They had a great time and caught several fish!

     A nice lady where we were staying cooked them up for us for dinner, and they were really good!



     We were in Thailand on Thanksgiving day and had a special time thanking God throughout the day for his many blessings and eating a special meal (a combination of American and Thai food) on the beach.  It was a Thanksgiving to never forget!

Our friend, Ken, took this family picture of us on the beach.

     Every day we enjoyed playing and splashing and swimming in the warm water.  We laughed and had a wonderful time!  It was such a special way to have family vacation time, and also a lovely way to shorten our long winter just a bit!