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"

Merry Christmas!

We've started into the Christmas season with First/Western/Catholic Christmas on the 25th. (Here is my explanation of terms last year.) It was a lovely day for us.

Finding Baby Jesus in the nativity scene

"Ляля!"

A book and pistachios before breakfast

Christmas breakfast

Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus
(Bogdan liked the candles!)

I didn't know they were trick candles until they started relighting, but they were perfect for getting lots of pictures. And then we went sledding....

White Christmas (happy!)

On the way home, Bogdan was so tired that he was nodding off while sitting up on the sled, so we had to carry him. He recovered long enough to warm up with hot chocolate when we got home, and then took a long nap.

Hot chocolate with Baby Jesus

While the younger half of the family napped, the older half read, cooked, and prepared a sermon. Then there was a family Skype call, a quick dinner, and out the door for....

Tea at church

Bogdan and I lasted at the tea until his bedtime, and then I brought him home, while the others stayed for the rest of it. As I carried him in the snowy, foggy dark, he signed that he was "all done" the whole way. And then he collapsed into bed, very happily.

We have many more Christmas pictures, even just from this one day. You can see more here.

Now we have New Year festivities, a winter VBS, and "Second" Christmas to look forward to next!

Choir concert

We just got back from the music school's concert. Here is Jaan's choir group singing:

Fall prayer letter

Here it is. Please come read and pray for us!

Advent JOY

I guess I skipped over posting anything for Advent LOVE, but we had a wonderful week of it. And now it's time to light the pink candle for JOY!

The sweetest moment of today was when I asked everyone what brings them joy. Jaan said, "Bogdan!" and then he turned to Bogdan and whispered, "I'm glad you were born in our family."

(Will is a really good sport!)

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great JOY which will be to all people."

Weeks 8-9 (and 4)

How's that for a confusing title? I've missed a weeks on my school summaries, and Jaan and Raia are working at different points in their separate years.

Raia is finishing up Year 1, Week 9 now. Shakespeare and Russian history are her biggest favorites, after Bible. She mostly just flies happily through everything.

Jaan did Week 4 of Year 3. He has experienced an Advent miracle with handwriting. After several years of just not really getting anywhere with it, now he wants to write pages of words in cursive. That's usually in the evenings, while they draw/write/paste/color in their Advent journals about the names of Jesus.

And the rest will be pictures. Since they're each worth a thousand words, here are 3,000 words for you:

Advent journals

Getting ready to go OUTSIDE

New pets

Advent HOPE

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

More Thanksgiving pictures

Will took so many photos, that I have to share more of them. Thanksgiving preparations started the night before, with...

Jaan making cranberry sauce

...and the girls making hats.

Asya and Bogdan made the centerpiece. 

Cute pilgrims

...and indians

Ready for the feast

Bogdan liked all the food, but especially the pie!

We have so much to be thankful for!

Week 7

Now that we're starting into the next week, I can need to think back to last week. Raia finished Year 1, Week 7, and Jaan did Year 3, Week 3. He's moving at a pace of about one and a half week's work every week, so maybe they'll be in the same weeks of their respective years soon. That would be nice. The highlight of the past week was Thanksgiving, though, so I'm not coming up with much to write about from school, although there was plenty. They also learned a lot about the Pilgrims and cooking and such, too, of course.

Reading at the Thanksgiving table

This is related to life and learning: Bogdan is by far our latest to potty train. But, at least he washes his own diapers!

Advent plans

I am going back through old blog posts, remembering and getting ready for my beloved time of year.

I have alternated between New Testament and Old Testament (Jesse Tree) focus. This year is New Testament, but I don't want to do the same preschool list I have in the past. Bogdan's still too young for it, and the others might not be too old, but they're old enough to move on. (I think I'll ask them to arrange it for Bogdan in 2014.) So, instead we are going to study the names of Jesus. We'll probably mostly just light candles and read the verse associated with the link on the chain for that day, although some of the ideas at the linked list might work for us. Maybe I'll let them each make their own chain, like this and this? That would cut out nightly arguments about who gets to remove a link.

We'll also have Advent wreath and poem or song and weekly themes, like last year. I think I'll get them each an Advent "journals" to copy or draw or paste something into each night. That's sounds grown-up, and even if it's not right up Jaan's alley, the girls will love it.

2010

And now I'm humming Адвент наступает....


(Edited to add this link: ornaments that go with the names of Jesus, to use if we do this again another year.)