Raia can read!

In the past week, Raia finished reading her primer! Apparently, we "always" have an award ceremony, a crown and ice cream when someone reaches that milestone. So, that's just what we did last night. We made a crown for Raia. Will presented her with a certificate and the next reading book, and she got ice cream for everyone.

Below is my favorite photo from the past week. Bogdan found a teeny, tiny beetle on the windowsill, and of course he was completely fascinated with it.

While I'm at it, I can give a little school update: Jaan finished Term 1 of Year 3! (I didn't say finally finished. I love that we can move at our own pace.) Raia is already part way through Year 1, Term 2. So, for the second half of our week, we've had an unusual exam week. (Brandy wrote a bit about AO exams a few days ago. I agree with everything she said. Also, you might know the person who wrote and compiled the Bible questions. Um, let's say, the person who is in the process of writing the Bible questions.) We've kept on doing a regular school schedule, and Jaan and Raia also record videos of their answers to a question or two each day. It will take us a while to get through the questions like this, but it is working for this time around. They haven't noticed that they're not getting their usual intense and fun exam week, but a question or two a day is nice and easy.

Jaan also had testing at music school. That was about the only time I feel sorry for homeschooled children. He was very nervous, because he had no idea what to expect. He kept asking me what "testing" means. Cruel Papa said that I should have told him it's when they beat the children or something. But he did fine. He survived and afterwards said that it wasn't so bad.

Lenten Love

Our Easter is much later than the Western date this year. So, we've just started our family preparation, when many of you are almost to Easter itself. In the past, we've read and loved Lenten Lights (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). I was planning on repeating that this year, but at the last minute I changed my mind. Instead we're focusing on Jesus' love for us and learning verses to go with that theme.

Evolution

No, this isn't really about evolution, as in evolution vs. creation. I just thought the evolution of this post was funny. I started writing last weekend about school. Then left it open and added thoughts about sleep, and then I looked at the photos we had....

I haven't kept up with my "Weekly journal" school posts this calendar year, but maybe I can start again now. Way back in January I thought I would have some time right after (Russian) Christmas to do some mid-year planning and get started again, but everyone was so tired and grumpy that it was actually easier just to jump into school the next day. Strange, but true: school is very calming and centering for this family of ours!

Still, we've been moving along slowly, and it seemed like we were bogging down a little. Math (which both Jaan and Raia love!) was really getting to be a bit of a problem. So, I made one goal for the week, and wrote it up on a sticky note over our table: "20 min. for math!" I set the timer each day, and it worked. No more daydreaming and dawdling. I think we're back on track there.

Special goal for the next week? I think I'll make it reviewing memory work every day. That's something that has been getting skipped lately.

Also, Bogdan has not been sleeping well lately. Ugh. It's one thing to lose sleep with a little baby who mostly just lies around during the day. It's another to get up with him in the nights and then keep up with him (a full-speed toddler!) during the days. Up until now he would have gotten the Best Sleeper Prize for our family. Not anymore.

Photos: around here March 1 counts as the first day of Spring. We had a special tea that day, with...

Butterfly napkins

And butterfly treats

Since this is about random evolution, something funny that Bogdan does: our printer also has a copier function. Bogdan has figured out which button to push to make that go. When he wants to draw, he'll come running up to the printer, crayon in hand, push the button, and wait for the big "paper dispenser" to spit out a piece of paper for him.

Could anyone following my ramblings here? I hope so!

Two years old!

Bogdan is two! He doesn't seem to understand what all the excitement is about, but he was very happy to "finally" have cake. Last night while we were making it, he sat in his high chair, cheering and clapping his hands.... And then he was horribly disappointed when I announced that it was time for bed.

So far today, we've had Yana come over for tea, because she shares a birthday with Bogdan. They opened presents, and Bogdan was very serious about enjoying his. Now the birthday boy is asleep. When he gets up, we'll have ballons and then a birthday dinner. We didn't make any big plans, and that suits Bogdan very well; he's easily pleased.

This morning's excitment

While I was getting lunch ready, I saw this go by. (Photos below!) I wasn't fast enough with getting Bogdan to the window, so I threw his coat on him, and made Will run after it with him. Bogdan is fascinated with animals these days, and almost all his new words are animal sounds right now. Although, he's still pretty confused there. Yesterday he told Will that the three bogatyrs in a book of ours were riding on "moo." Anyway, I knew that he would love to see a real one!

There were some guys we know playing ping pong out there, so Will and Bogdan joined in for a little while. See how quick I was with getting Bogdan dressed, though?

I did put socks on him! But I didn't get as far as boots, and he wasn't wearing his tights, so a sock fell off. Will was trying to hard to hide that naked foot.

And then the photos below are from the first part of our morning. From the time he got up today, Bogdan was intently preparing for some kind of expedition or something:

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.

Finally!

Bogdan is finally potty trained! We've worked on it off and on since he was born, but it finally clicked last week. I still have him in diapers at night, although he's been waking up dry some mornings already. I was used to daytime potty training around age 1, and then nighttime just followed that about 6 months later for our other children. This one decided to be different, but maybe because he's so late, he'll do both almost at one time? Anyway, he clearly tells me when he has to go and gives enough time that we don't have to run, so I say that he has arrived.

Bogdan is really a funny little guy, and he loves to clown around and make us laugh. In public, however, the most common comments we hear are about how serious and even sad he looks. A few days ago we had a friend visiting, and the older children were bragging about Bogdan and his new underwear. When he heard what they were talking about, Bogdan marched off without making a sound, came back with his potty, sat on it and did his business, then stood to the side so that Katya could see what he had done. She cheered and congratulated him, but he never cracked a smile or said anything. It was all so dead silent and serious that I found it hilarious.

Orphan summit

If you're on Facebook, you'll have to forgive me for reposting this:

The picture above is something Bogdan painted while he and I were watching the summit that Will attended in Kiev. I thought Bogdan's doodle looked remarkably similar to the logo of Ukraine Without Orphans, which is what we were seeing on the screen in front of us as he worked. (Hmm. I should have rotated Bogdan's version a little. That would have made it even better.) Some friends did suggest that it might just be a cup of Ukrainian tea, and that is also highly likely.

Anyway, Will left on Tuesday for the Eastern European Summit for Pastors "Defending the Orphan, Changing the Future" in Kiev. It went all day long Wednesday and Thursday. Then he had a free day, and he came home yesterday. We had originally planned to go all together, but now I'm really glad that we didn't. About the time Will left, Raia started feeling bad, and she spent the next few days down with a stomach bug. Also, they broadcasted all the main sessions online, so we got to see and hear a lot of what went on there, from the comfort of our own living room. Jaan particularly enjoyed the times that the president of Compassion International spoke. I was really excited that I had a few people step up to help me here; I had been feeling kind of isolated since we moved. They even took the three older children out for a whole morning and fed them lunch one day!

Many people were praying that this summit would help us to decide where we're going next. Thank you. I can't say that God spoke directly to Will there; we don't have any instant, definite decision to share. However, Will did get to meet many people, hear about other ministries, and collect contact information from all over Ukraine. He also said that he feels like this conference confirmed and strengthened his desire for us to be actively involved in orphan ministry. Please keep praying with us as we sort through all the information and contacts from the conference and continue to seek God's direction. We're so thankful that he had this opportunity!

The things she says

Old photo, but cute

Last month I wrote down a few things Asya said that made me laugh, but then I didn't post them. Here they are now:
She told me that she was wearing "two portions of socks."

An attempt at saying in English that she is my baby: "It is I you baby."

Sometimes she just babbles on and on. After finding a bit of fluff or something: "I found a feather from a hamster. May I give it to God? Poor people would like to decorate their homes with it...."

A few days ago she told me that her very, very favorite books are Ruslan and Lyudmila and Tarzan of the Apes. Maybe not terribly funny, but I loved the combination.

Activity and thought

I can't blame all my silence here (and in email) on this apartment, but I'm discovering that it really is part of it. In our old apartment, we actually had an extra room, where the computer was out of the main area of noise and motion. I could sit and think and read and write. Not so here! We definitely don't have an extra room. Or any extra room. I really can't think with everyone bouncing off me while I sit here. I also can't be here before anyone is up in the morning like I used to. So, I don't end up writing much at all.

Of course, in some ways that's good. I don't have to worry about being glued to the computer, instead of to my children.  You all just get to hear less from me. Sorry about that, but I'm sure you understand. I'm still aiming for one blog post a week, if possible. But if I don't get to that, and if you don't get answers to your emails, you know why.

Snowduck

This was yesterday's great entertainment. Jaan made a huge snowball, and then Bogdan pushed it back and forth on the sled. Eventually they added an icicle stuck into it, which Bogdan insisted made it into a duck. I guess the icicle was its beak? All birds are ducks to him right now, and he was convinced that he was pushing a duck around. We girls followed them around and laughed.

Bogdan and butterflies

We're slowly easing back into regular life after Christmas. I was so thankful that we made it through all the holiday events without getting sick! But then by January 8th--the day after Christmas--the whole family (except me) was coughing and sniffling. They've been pretty miserable since then, but things are starting to look better now.

I was going through pictures, trying to decide what to post, and I found a theme. Here you have Bogdan and his current obsession: butterflies! Yes, he's my son. "Butterfly" is the one word that be both says ("ba-ba-ba") and signs. He's a little deprived of live butterflies right now, so everything that slightly resembles a butterfly is very important to him. Especially maple seeds.

Maple seed "butterflies" and pollen "caterpillars"

See?

Sometimes they eat lunch with him.

Favorite reading material

He was not dressed like a girl; he was a butterfly.
See him signing? (And he really looks like Raia!)

Mama's presents

There was a very definite theme when I was opening presents. Bogdan was distributing everything, and after he brought me two presents and watched me open them, he brought me a third and very seriously told me that it was a butterfly. He was not disappointed.

Merry Christmas again!

It's Christmas again here! Jesus is so special that He has TWO birthdays. Plus, the Bible says "rejoice and AGAIN I say rejoice." That means we're supposed to celebrate twice, you know.

We went to church this morning, and the children did the play they had prepared for the last day of camp again, this time for everyone. Then, after church we went caroling for the housebound babushki. We just got home, and now we're ready to collapse with a movie, I think. Have to keep everyone awake a little longer now....

I'm already hearing snores from over on the couch, though.

There are more photos here.

Another camp photo

Will and Kolya's group, "The Wisemen"

They were much more photogenic than my active little Snowflakes were yesterday. These guys stood straight and sang beautifully for the parents who came at the end.

Winter camp

We're having lot of fun with a winter day camp at church. Here's just one photo for now:

Some of the youngest group, "The Snowflakes"