COLD dacha day

Our children have been begging for a dacha day, even though it's been cold and grey almost non-stop. I had said that we would go after Papa returned from the summit in Kiev. Then it turned out that he had to go to Kiev again. It got to the point that they were actually climbing the walls at home:

Just a cute photo that has nothing to do with anything

So, yesterday we finally went! Unfortunately, someone stole the electrical wires from a bunch of dachas, including ours, which complicates cooking a little. (In Russia the dacha community we were a part of actually collected the wires every winter and only put them out in spring. I guess that isn't as weird as it might sound.) It was so cold yesterday that we were all quite content to spend most of the time huddled around a fire anyway, though.

Convinced that he needed to blow it out

We put them to work early.

We got creative and silly, trying to keep warm

It was all very fun and satisfying, and we didn't quite freeze. Well, Will and I were satisfied with our outdoor time. Everyone else was very grateful, but they are already saying that they want to do it again next weekend.

Oh, on the way out, we took a taxi, and Bogdan hadn't been in a car for so long that he was terrified of the speed that made everything seem to be rushing at him. Before we moved to this apartment, we rode in a taxi almost every week to get to church. He's already forgotten what that is like. On the way back, he walked almost the whole way with his own little legs for the first time ever. I left with him, to get a head start before dark. Walking along the paths with just him was the highlight of the day (of the month!) for me. He was exhausted afterwards, though. After barely dragging through a bath and supper, I told him that it was time for bed; he flopped down on the floor, right where he was, ready to go to sleep.