more pages and lots of laughs...

I've finally gotten around to scrapping some of Gavin's first photos! They were so sweet and I didn't want to scrap them till I had the perfect idea... more to come! You can find the credits for these here.




It's so crazy to think of Gavin being so tiny... ok- he was never really "tiny"- but definately much smaller than he is now! Lately everything he's done has been making us laugh. He's quite the ham these days and will a zillion different expressions. Yesterday JB told him that he wasn't allowed to do something (?can't remember what?) and his eyes got huge and he looked like he was about to cry...then he stuck out his bottom lip and just looked up at JB with his eyes...it was like something adorable from a movie or something. How does he know exactly how to melt our hearts?! Today, Inna said something to him and he just looked at me from the corners of his eyes, w/o even turning his head- and with the most quizzacle expression I have ever seen... Almost like he was saying "mom, help me. What did she just say?"... JB and I just giggled at each other.

He got scratched by the cat for the very first time today. For as much as he beats up on Bruce, I'm surprised this is the first time! I was putting clothes in the cryer (on the balcony) and Gavin and Bruce were both out there with me. Gavin was playing with my little "dryer balls" (that are supposed to fluff your laundry and keep it static free so you don't have to use dryer sheets- which aren't available here). All of the sudden Gavin starts screaming and Bruce jumps down onto the floor (he was sitting in the open window his favorite place). Not sure exactly what happened, but we think Gavin was trying to push Bruce out the window (our windows on the balcony are very high up, and no, they don't have screens, but there was no danger of Gavin falling out, in case you're wondering :) ) If he stands on his tiptoes he can touch the bottom of the window and we think that he was pushing Bruce and that's why he scratched him.. it doesn't look too bad- it's from his forehead down to his lip, but PTL Bruce got him between the eyes and down the side of his nose...and didn't scratch his eye!

Our most favorite food right now is eggplant- I've been making roasted veggies in the oven, yum! Gavin must be the least pickiest eater on earth...he will eat anything I put in front of him. Eggplant, beets, pumkin, fish, spinach... you name it and he'll probably eat it! I'm really going to miss this part of living in Krasnodar- all the fresh fruits and veggies that are available (cheap!) in the market. It's often a pain to go and carry kilos of stuff back, but always nice to have fresh produce filling my fridge!

JB and I? Not too much new... class today was good- we started a new lesson and I was able to study some of the lessons we missed while we were in Moscow. Tomorrow I meet w/ my language helper again (it's been awhile b/c we've been gone) so I'm excited about that. I talked to my mom last night (yesterday was her bday)... always so wonderful to talk to her. I miss my family so much- especially during the holidays... It about killed me when she said that if I was home we could make apple pies. One of my all time favorite things to do is cook w/ my mom, that comes right behind drinking coffee w/ her! She made me start thinking about what I wanted to make for Thanksgiving- definately broccoli casserole, and if I can find cranberrys somewhere I'll make my grandma's cranberry salad. Our whole team is planning to get together, so that will be great...lots of kids and a huge 'family' gathering- I love getting together with lots of people on holidays! Then my mom started talking about my birthday gift she put in the mail yesterday... can't wait to find out what it is! I'm such a bad sport about surprises...I just hate to wait! Especially since she went on and on about how I would LOVE it... anyone know what it is? Can you drop me a hint, at least?! Please....????!

Oh, by the way, if you send anything our direction we have some new instructions- Due to some restrictions that were placed on who can recieve mail through our PO Box- we ask that you now address any letters or packages to :

Jerry Rundstrom
(JB and Iris Hecock)
PO Box 61
Krasnodar 350048
Russia

You can write it exactly like that (with our names in () )- that way Jerry will know who it is for! Sorry for the inconveniece, but it's very important his name is on there b/c the post office has said that they will start returning any mail w/o his name as of Jan 1 ! So, again, sorry if this causes you any problems, but Thanks in advance ! :)