Celebrating 85 Wonderful Years!

This past weekend we celebrated my grandpa's 85th birthday. He is such a wonderful part of our family- so loving and fun and enthusiastic and wise and filled with God's spirit! We are all so blessed to have him in our lives! Anneka helped pass out his presents. Here he is, opening one.



Anneka once again had a delightful time with her cousins. They played and played with her, which is so fun to watch and so restful for me!



We were at Harrison Baptist Church on Sunday. Leif gave the message and we showed a little video of our lives in Russia. The people there were so warm and welcoming. It was really encouraging because some of the people told us that they want to regularly financially support us. The picture above is a common sight whenever my Dad and Ella are both at church together. When it's time to greet people (or before or after the service), my Dad will hold Ella out for whoever will look and say "This is my granddaughter". So funny.



In the last post, I mentioned that Ella didn't like boating. Well, she really loves the hot tub (at kid temperature, of course). She really likes it when we let her float and we sort of drive her around the pool of water.

Ella's not a big fan of boating.

Encouraging Times

I've been behind with blogging. We haven't been home very much and when we are, we've been spending our time on household chores or reading to Anneka or sleeping (or Leif needs the computer for business stuff). But we've had some encouraging times with people lately. In the picture above, we were at Southside Christian church (2 weeks ago). Some of the leaders had a BBQ for us on Saturday night. They asked how they can be more of a support to us and gathered around us and prayed for us. And then this week we were at Olive Branch church and everyone was so encouraging. They also gathered around us and prayed for us. It's so wonderful to know that we are not alone and to remember how many people are with us as we live and work in Siberia.



Anneka loves her cousins, Nora and Myah. It was SO nice because Nora went back with Anneka to the toddler room during the morning service. She was in heaven.


Between the three services at Southside Christian, my aunt and uncle and grandparents had family over for lunch. It was good to be together.



There was no lack of people to hold Ella. Here she is with Nora. Speaking of Ella, she had a checkup this week. She's 2.5 months old and is 15lb 3oz and 25 3/4 inches long... she's off the charts (100th percentile) for weight and height. That's one big baby! It's kind of comforting to take a bigger baby back with us to Russia, though. It feels like there's substance to her. =) Anneka was delighted to watch Ella get her shots. Her favorite game in the world is to play doctor and to give people shots. Anneka told me she wants another shot (a real one) before going back to Russia. What kid wants that??! I'm sure we could get her a flu shot or something to satisfy her desires. =) The funny thing is that she takes after her mom. I like to get shots, too.


And I couldn't leave out Anneka's cousin, Eric. They came out to my parents house last week and Anneka and Eric liked pulling the rhubarb out of the ground and then waving it everywhere.

Ruth Bible Study

My friend, Rachel, organized a Bible study this summer and invited me and my mom to be a part of it. We studied the book of Ruth, and it was really good. I was thankful for a workbook to go through, as I have a very scattered brain right now (with a newborn). It was PERFECT for feeling connected with people and being in God's Word this summer. Thanks, Rachel!

On the last day of the study, we had all of the girls dress in matching outfits. Sara and Rachel and I all have kids basically the same ages. It was pretty funny trying to get a picture of them all... this is about the best we came up with!

It's amazing how fast the summer has flown by!

Sisters

I told Leif I'd write a blog in less than 5 minutes, so I'd better just post one picture to be safe. Anneka loves her little sister. Sometimes her affection can be rather smothering. But thankfully Ella is forgiving.

On another note, Leif and I went in for physicals this week. There's a group called Travel Health America that tells us a bunch of tests/shots/etc we need to get before returning to Russia. Leif has gained 20 pounds this summer. All of that yummy American food. I have gained 5 pounds since having Ella. Crazy. We need to get back to Russia so that we can walk it all off. I'm finally officially not anemic anymore. SO HAPPY. It's all of those yummy hamburgers I've been eating. Okay, I'd better end, to be safe. =)

Our Time In Bellingham

The last place we stayed on our trip was in Bellingham. When we first got there, we went straight to Rebecca's flower shop. (She's Leif's Dad's wife). It's a lovely place. We said our hellos and then decided to take our stuff back to our room to get settled in. Eric asked Anneka if she wanted to stay there with them or to go back with me and Leif. She chose her grandpa over us. I love that about her. She feel secure and knows when she's with people who love her. Here they are, happily waving goodbye.



We stayed in Leif's grandma's retirement home and decided to give Ella a bath there. When Anneka was a baby, she took a bath in the sink there, too. She fit so perfectly in the sink that we were able to let go for a few seconds to take the picture.



"Grancy" loved meeting her newest great-grandchild and Anneka. And Anneka loved being with her great grandma, too. One night we returned late and didn't get to see Grancy and Anneka cried so hard. She asked if she could just go into Grancy's room and get into bed with her. We explained that Grancy had a small bed and it just wouldn't work out. Anneka was not easily consoled.




Dinner together at Grancy's place.




"Grandpapa" and Ella enjoying one another




Our last day in Bellingham, we went to the Lynden Fair. We were there during Anneka's naptime, so she slept in the stroller for awhile. She loved seeing all of the animals and petting them.



Farm Fun



Who can resist sitting on a pink tractor?



It took forever getting home the last day. What is normally a 6 hour trip was a 13 hour trip. Ella would just get to sleep and Anneka would need to find a restroom. And Anneka got to sleep and Ella needed to stop and eat. Etc, etc. And then when we were just an hour from home (in Ritzville), we stopped to feed Ella one last time. And then the car wouldn't start! It was late enough that all of the car places were closed. Thankfully we were at a park. Anneka was delighted to be at a playground and not in a car and Ella was so happy to be able to kick and lay on a blanked on the grass. My sweet aunt came and saved us and drove us home. Above and below, we were waiting for her to arrive. =)



We had a wonderful trip and it was so good to see everyone. But we were also so glad to be back "home"!

Family Pictures

I'm too tired to upload pictures from yesterday and today's adventures, but I realized I've been wanting to post these family pictures for awhile. Our friend, Angela, who owns Stillpoint Photography did them, and we love them! SO MANY were so good, it was hard to choose which ones to show you. =)

Here And There

Since we've been married, Leif and I have tried to go on a date every week. Sometimes it's not a traditional date, but we want to guard that time together, as it's so important. This past week, we brought Ella with us and ate at a restaurant on a pier in Coupeville. Ella doesn't talk yet, so we can still have delightful, uninterrupted conversation. =) And in my opinion it's less stressful to bring a newborn along than to worry about her needing to eat and me not being around. Outdoor seating is something I DREAM about most of the year in Russia. Before we came back to the States I told Leif, "we need to eat outside every meal, all summer!" It hasn't quite been that frequent, but we do it when we can.



The last night we were in Coupeville, Leif's mom realized that we hadn't gotten a family picture right after Leif's brother and family had left. It was the last time we'd be together until we're in the States again. So I suggested we go over to Lark's house and get a late-night photo. The kids were in their jammies, but it was a fun memory. And great to have a picture of everyone.





On Saturday, our friends Brian and Lesley hosted a BBQ for CWU friends. It was really fun to see people and catch up on their lives. Hot dogs were another thing I was dreaming about for months (you're not supposed to eat them when you're pregnant). Mmmmm. I've been eating tons of hot dogs and hamburgers this summer.



It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the nice day with friends.




Our friend Erin came at the end. A CWU party wouldn't be complete without her!



After the CWU party, we headed up to Darrington, where Leif's family has a cabin (his great grandparents owned it and it's been passed down through the family.) Anneka's cousin, Gwen, came and they had fun playing in a little playhouse close by.



On Sunday, we shared at two churches back-to-back and then Lark and the other two cousins joined us. We ordered pizza that night and hung out outside. Ella liked kicking around on her blanket. By the end of this day, I was wiped. We'd had a LONG lunch out after church and I had a migraine (and had gotten little sleep the night before. Thankfully, I've caught up a bit now!



On Monday, Leif, Anneka, Ella and I went for a walk down to the river where he'd go a lot growing up. The cool water felt so nice on a hot day! It's fun to show Anneka parts of our lives from our childhoods!

Swimming and Sharing

A couple of days this week, we went to the local pool. At first Anneka was timid, but by the end, she was squealing, giggling, and even "swimming" (with flotation) without us holding onto her!



Anneka really liked riding on our backs. Here she is with her grandma.



Splashing!



Ella slept serenely by the side of the pool one day and in her aunt Fawn's arms the other.




While in Coupeville, we had a chance to share about our lives in Russia with the church Irene goes to.



It was such a wonderful surprise when I found out that my elementary school music teacher, Jodi, also goes to that church! She came to our sharing time and it was wonderful to see her and to catch up. Jodi used to teach me piano and voice lessons, too. And she lived across the street from us. And her daughter was my favorite babysitter. Anyways, it was really great to see her again after so many years!

The Zoo

On Monday, Leif's mom came down to Seattle with her other grandkids and we all went to the Woodland Park Zoo together. My sister met up with us, too (pictured above). Home service is such an intense time- wanting to get quality time with friends and family, wanting to share with churches and supporters, wanting to rest, wanting to have fun and do things that we can't do in Siberia, etc, etc. Today I am feeling like I miss Anneka even though I've been around her every day. I just haven't really "connected" with her like normal. But I also want others to get special time with her. Anyways, it's an interesting time. And we're enjoying the parts that are good about this unique time.


The cousins looking at the komodo dragon.



Grandmama Irene with her two little grandgirls.




The penguins were so cute.




Before we got to the zoo, we tried to explain it to Anneka. "Will there be a boat there?", she asked. Leif told her that he didn't know if there would be or not and thought it was a random question. But sure enough, here was the boat she was wishing for. So funny.



A trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without petting a goat!




Anneka and her cousin, Gwen, were our guides. They were so funny in that they both had maps and were constantly consulting the maps. They would tell us, "now we're going to the otters. Now we're going to the bears", etc... even if they didn't know where in the zoo we currently were. It was fun to watch.