Art contest voting

 Raia's and Bogdan's work for the Lviv art contest is up for voting!

Raia's picture is here in the older category, and Bogdan's is here with the younger contestants. They each had 5 or 6 votes before I even noticed that the pictures were up, and, of course, we'd love to see lots more from our family and friends. 

I'm editing this post to add in the illustration Will made about how to vote:

After voting, that blue strip turns green and says "thank you for your vote" (in Ukrainian).

A few photos

 The first month of school has gone well, and we're started into the second. This year our neighbour kids are going to school, which makes for less interruptions, but we miss them. They're back and forth a lot, though, because they're supposed to stay home for any suspicion of any sickness, and they do. The littlest one is still at home, and there was one morning when she had wandered over to our side while we were doing school. I heard her mother calling for her to come back, and her little voice answering very tragically, "I can't!"

Photos of 1) a wet afternoon, 2) all the nuts the boys have collected, 3) Jaan practicing, 4) Bogdan hiding from going to solfeggio, and 5) Raia's art class working outside.

Asya's birthday

Asya's 13th birthday fell on a very busy school day. We let her skip school at home, but she had a flute lesson and art to go to. She made brownies and gluten free cookies to take to art. And while she was there her friend presented her with this amazing painting from a photo they took together last year:

She was also very excited about the presents she got from relatives:

Then, yesterday we really celebrated her birthday. Two years ago we had gone ice skating for her birthday with just one of her friends. This year she wanted to go back with everyone.

My favourite photo!

Then we came home for dinner and games:

I think everyone had a very good time celebrating our Asya.

Jaan's birthday

Yesterday was Jaan's birthday. It was a regular school day, too, and an insanely busy one. We didn't make Jaan do any school work, but he and Raia did have a music lesson. Their teacher's birthday was last week, so I got donuts for them to celebrate both her and Jaan.

Our other kids were going back and forth and all over, but Jaan came home from music school, and his friends started arriving. By dinner time everyone except Asya was here. Will cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken. Someone said that biting into a hamburger was so good that it was like "eating a cloud of meat." Everyone enjoyed the food and time together, and Asya finally arrived. Then Jaan opened presents, and there was ice cream by the fire.

It was a very good, happy day, and we're all so glad that Jaan was born to us many long years ago in Moscow. 

First day of school

September First, the Day of Knowledge, is a holiday in this part of the world. It's the first day of school every year. Our family always starts off with school photos:

Bogdan, 3rd grade

Asya, 7th grade

Raia, 9th grade

Jaan, 11th grade
(He grew out of his vyshivanka.)

Bogdan got a full-sized instrument!

The whole school

(He wanted a photo with the duck, but you can't really see her.)

We had a pretty good first day. It's always a challenge to get back to work after a long break, but like I said on Facebook, most of us were ready for it. Bogdan thought he wasn't, but he'll survive. After their first day of school Jaan and Raia went out with their friends, and Asya and Bogdan went over to hide from the heat and play with the neighbour kids. Music school also started already, at least for individual lessons, and art school starts tomorrow.

Last day of summer

Yesterday we went on a picnic across the river to celebrate the last day before school started. We're having a heat wave, but it was really nice by (and in!) the water. We missed the ferry on the way over, so we went in water taxis; some of our children protest that they're too fast and scary, others love the thrill. At the end of the day, we came back the slow way. In between we swam, ate, rested, and enjoyed being outside. Bogdan caught little fish, which was something he's been wanting to do for long time.