Showing posts with label Advent 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent 2007. Show all posts

Monday, December 03, 2007

What's new?

People keep asking us that. Really there's nothing new. Will had a neighbor check our mail and read it to us over the phone. There was a letter from the regional court, but it just said that my case will be heard again in Kovrov City Court. No date. So, we keep waiting. Keep praying; we'll keep you posted.

There was something new and different on our Jesse Tree last night:

Something is different!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

I snuck it in there to raise interest in our story. But--let this be a reminder that we're not perfect --the children were so fussy and uncooperative that we barely made it through making the ornament. The story had to wait until this morning. The snake stayed in the tree overnight, and Jaan and Raia listened with great fascination when I finally explained why it was there.

(By the way, WHY is right up Jaan's alley right now. He never stops asking "why?" I laughed so hard last night; he even asked "why?" in his sleep! I could hear him muttering, and then loud and clear "ПОЧЕМУ?" and then more muttering.)

I haven't written much about Asya recently. She's getting really big! Yesterday Will was playing a wild game with Jaan, Raia, and a ball. Up until now, she's either been indifferent to such events or scared and overwhelmed by them. This time she was fascinated. I even took her away, because I was afraid it was too much for her, and she screamed until I brought her back. She just wanted to sit in my lap, and seriously study what her crazy family was doing. She's also enthralled by a shirt with black and white stripes that I've been wearing. It's so amazing to her, that sometimes she'll even stop nursing to stare at it with her mouth hanging open. Sometimes she'll be smiling at me and interacting with me, and then all of a sudden the shirt catches her attention, and she's stuck. She's also on her way to being mobile. We've had her on a mattress on the floor at nights, and recently she scooted right off of it! I didn't go to her right away when she woke up, so she calmly decided to come get me herself. Sometimes at night she'll roll over, and that sure makes her mad. I'll close with a photo of her:


Pretending
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

She's so used to taking her morning nap outside, that on the weekends when we stay in, we have to pretend. I wrap her up in her outside blanket, just leaving off the hat and coat layers, and she goes right to sleep.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Advent!

We started last night. To be very honest, I didn't really want to. Last December stands out as a beautiful month, and I've been looking forward to something like that again all year. However, right now everything is so uncertain and upsetting, and I know I can't have a perfect Advent. I knew if I just got going and did it for the children, I would be the one to benefit, though, and I'm already seeing that is true.

Last year we learned stories from the New Testament. This year we're doing more of the big picture--leading up to Jesus--with a Jesse tree, something like this.

Here's our first lesson in pictures. We. . .


Collected sticks
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



Arranged them
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



Colored
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



Glued
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



Read Isaiah 11:1-2
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Want to read with us? Click here.



Had tea
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



Raia, too
Originally uploaded by fylliska.



A gift for Jesus
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

This was sweet. I asked what they would want to give to Jesus for His upcoming birthday. Jaan said, "Just a minute, I'll show you," and he ran off to get one of his treasures. I went on to explain that giving something to someone here, can be giving to Jesus. The idea of giving up the wrench seemed a little too hard for him, and we were only talking theoretically, so I stopped. However, this morning, right when he woke up, Jaan saw the wrench and said, "Papa, that's for a poor boy. I'm giving it to Jesus." I'm not quite sure where to go from there; it's not even our toy, but I was touched by Jaan's sweet heart.



All done!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.