The Results are In!

Thanks to all of you who posted your votes and send emails! If you were to fly here and get a room at "Solnechney Kamen" (Sunny Stone) for 4 people- you would expect to pay $103 (or around that depending on the exchange rate at the moment!). So, our winner is Kristy ! Who actually will be here visiting in a little over 2 weeks! Congrats, Kristy!

Here are a few pics from English Camp! We spent 3 days at a "resort" outside of the city- speaking in English, playing games, and enjoying the great outdoors! Our theme was "An American Roadtrip"- we talked about traveling, being a tourist, using different modes of transportation, one evening we watched the movie "The Outoftowners"- an oldie but a goodie, thanks for the suggestion Sarah ! Every night we hung out and played games- their favorites were Blokus, Wanted and Swap ! If you'll notice in most all of the indoor pictures we're all wearing coats- it was SO cold inside and out! I don't think the temps in our rooms ever went above 60! Good thing we brought lots of warm clothes for the kids! We were ready to come home just to thaw out!


Ice skating on the lake! (L-R Anna, Alyona, Alyona and Sarah)

Having a tongue- twister competition- how quickly can you say "Thankfully, the three thousand thirty-three thoughtful thinkers thoroughly thought their three thousand and three thoughts through, through Thursday's thunderous night. "?


Hanging out in the room one afternoon (Carter, Sarah, Karina, Alyona and Naira)


Our beautiful surroundings!


Several of us getting ready to get on the bus to head back to the city (Top: Naira, Alex, Masha, Anna, Sarah, Dasha, Sveta and Lena- bottom: Karina, Me, Alyona)

Last Chance!

Don't forget to post your guesses! I'll announce the winning guess on Tuesday! If for some reason you can't post a comment (some people have had problems w/ blogger)- you can just send me an email at heyhecocks(at)gmail(dot)com with your guess! Good luck!

This was another busy, but good, weekend- Saturday morning our Action Group went outside the city to help at a home for street kids and then Saturday evening was another Ladies Club- and there was only one empty seat! We had several new visitors and quite a few ladies who came regularly in the past- return! We made Valentine's cards- even though Valentine's day isn't widely celebrated here it seems to be becoming even more and more popular each year- especially among the student-aged crowd. During our coffee break we had some great conversation, even though many of the ladies hadn't read the chapter for the week (we're reading Stasi Eldridge's book, Captivating)- they all participated in the discussion. Each of the ladies shared what they are the "most" of out of the ladies in our group- They were each encouraged to come up with something postive about themselves to say- many said they were kind, friendly, outgoing, loving, talkative, happy, creative, etc. It was a great exercise to get the conversation started. It's always easy to come up with negative things to say about ourselves, but never very easy or comfortable to say something in front of others that is positive about yourself. The discussion very quickly turned to spiritual things as we talked about how our good works and just being a "good person" can not earn our way into heaven. Many of the women said that they considered themselves to do more "good" than sin and therefore they were "earning" their way into heaven. Only 3 of the ladies that attend are believers- Please pray for Oksana, Zlata, Natasha, Lena, Marina, Yelena and Sveta . Our next meeting is on Valentine's Day- our friend Kristy will be here that week and we'll be making jewelery- the group LOVES making jewelery- so I'm sure we'll have another great turnout!

Thanks for reading! And, no, for all you inquiring readers- we haven't found Carter in any 'crazy' places as of late! His newest fascination is with the blinds- he will stand on the arm of the couch so he can reach the window (where I have all the pull cords for the blinds hooked up on a suction cup- so they are "beyond his reach"!) and he will grab hold of the pull cord and fall onto the couch and watch the blinds fly up. Needless to say, he is learning that pulling on the blinds (and climbing up to reach the cords I worked so hard to get out of his reach) equals timeout in his crib alone in his room! We'll see what trouble he find for himself today :) Blessings!

Blog Contest!

Okay... since the holidays are all officially over here in Russia- thought it would be a good time for some fun "competition"! The name of the game is...

How much would you pay to stay here?

The following photos are pictures of the building and our room at the "resort" (I use this term VERY loosely!) we stayed at for English Camp. Take a look at the pics and leave your guess (in US dollars) in the comments. How much do you think our family of 4 paid per night to occupy this room?! The person with the guess closest to the actual price we paid will not only win an free night at this luxurious "resort" (excluding your travel from North America, or where ever you live!)- but I will also throw in a genuine Russian nesting doll as a 'bonus gift'!

You should know that the "resort" was located 65km outside of Ekaterinburg beside a beautiful frozen lake. They offered ice skating (on the lake) and a huge wooden slide covered with ice that you could ride down on a sled - it sent you flying onto the lake. All this and more could be yours for a correct guess! ***All those who were present at English Camp are exempt from playing! Sorry, Sarah!***

Good luck! I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, January 27th.

our "lovely bathroom", conveniently located in our room

The shower in our bathroom

sink

Our room (the hot pot did not come with the room, but there were 4 glasses and 1 plate!)

This is the building where our room was located. We were on the first floor- and yes, we did have our own private balcony- though it was way too cold to use it! Though we did benefit from fresh air in our rooms- it just poured right in through the windows!

I'm going to apologize now...

...because I'm fairly certain that my blogging is going to leave much to be desired over the next few months! So, please accept my early apology! Between these visa trips every three months, Sarah being here, the holidays, ministry and being a mom- I am dying for a few days with NOTHING to do...and things are only getting busier as we count down our last few months here in Russia before we head back to the States for a year of home assignment. So- please keep checking back for more posts- I'll try my best to write something when I can.

So- what's been going on here in Ekat? Lots of exciting stuff over the last 6 weeks! Of course we celebrated Christmas (and Russian Christmas on Jan. 7), New Years (and Old New Years on Jan. 14), English Camp, baptized 2 believers, hosted lots and lots of people in our home, had the pleasure of having my sister with us for 5 weeks to complete her internship, then there's always church, English Cafes, Ladies Club meetings, took the kids to the circus (with live polar bears!), went to see the Nutcracker with Sarah, then of course things you all know...the Steelers are going to the Superbowl (yeah!) and Obama was inaugurated as our 44 President (which we celebrated at a party at the US Consulate with other Americans in the city!) and lots and lots of other things that I'm sure I've forgotten!

On the home front- Gavin and Carter are both grown like weeds! I can't take my eyes off of Carter for a moment- you just never know where you'll find him next! He is so sneaky and fast- he just pushes a chair or toy tub up next to whatever he wants to climb and up he goes! We've found him on top of the table and climbing onto the kitchen counter, he's even managed to escape his belt and climb out of his highchair and today... he took off into the bathroom and even with JB in speedy pursuit of him he ended up sitting inside the toilet! He is a fast one. And Gavin wonders why we always insist on leaving the bathroom door shut!!!! Of course JB called for me and the camera as soon as he saw Carter seated in the toilet bowl- so after a quick photo we pulled him out (disinfected him! lol) and dried him off! I'm so glad the Lord protects our children, because two eyes are just not enough to keep an eye on Carter!





And as for Gavin- he's full of funny sayings- the latest being, " Mommy, put your head on backwards." This is what he says when he wants me to turn around and look at him- Apparently a head is like a shirt- you just put it on backwards when you want!!!

Blogging Break

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Forgive me for not taking the time to update you all on the life and times of the Hecock family this past month. Truth be told? I just didn't feel like it. Not that it takes a lot of time to sit and type a few paragraphs- but the little time I've had this last month I've just wanted to sit w/ my hubby and watch a Christmas movie, Zumba, or cuddle with my boys that are growing up way too fast! These past several weeks have been crazy with English Cafes, visitors, our visa trip to Germany and getting ready for holidays and all the events that come along with them. Oh, and my sister is coming in less than 36 hours! She'll be staying with us for 5 weeks and doing her internship for school! We have been planning lots for her- she'll be working in an orphanage, helping with English Cafe, Ladies Club, Kids Club, English Camp, teaching a class or two at the local Pedagogical College- plus helping with our Christmas outreach, attending a baptism, going to the banya, learning to make borsht and blini and spending a weekend living with a Russian family. I think she'll be exhausted by the time January 17th rolls around!

Hoping you all had a great Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our time in Germany w/ JB's cousin and her family. We enjoyed great American food that we can't get here (Burger King, Taco Bell, Soft pretzels, Starbucks, bagels and Dr Pepper!) and really enjoyed spending the holiday with family! It took us several days to get used to how QUIET Germany is! Not once did I hear a honking horn or people throwing beer bottles outside our windows. Though, I have to admit it was a little overwhelming trying to remember that I have to sort my trash into different recyclable bins each time I wanted to throw something away- even on the street or in the train station! We enjoyed trams and buses than ran on schedule (and actually had schedules unlike Russian transport!). We took in every moment of walking downtown with all the beautiful Chritmas decorations and Christmas markets everywhere!

Our Family with Mike and Vicki and their daughters

I know it might seem like "any old playground" to you- but it was amazing and so strikingly different than ANYTHING we have around here- the boys went crazy!

Triburg in the black forest! We took a day trip there on Thanksgiving.

This is Heidelberg, where Mike and Vicki live- this picture was taken from the gardens of the Heidelberg castle.

I'm sure I'll post more pictures in the near future!

Birthday Breakfast

I just had to share this simple, yummy recipe with everyone- The boys and I enjoyed this wonderful breakfast casserole this morning (complete with candles and singing, as is our tradition!). I'm always looking for good breakfast recipes for when we have guests and this one will be going to the top of my list- so simple to make, yummy and you can make it the night before and refrigerate it! So, without further ado- here it is:

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

12 slices Texas toast, cubed
6 - 8 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
4 apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
1/2 stick butter
1/3 c. maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. chopped pecans
Garnish: powdered sugar; additional maple syrup

Cube bread and place in lightly greased 13 x 9 baking pan; set aside. Place eggs in a medium bowl, add milk, whisk until combined. Pour over bread cubes and set aside. In skillet, over medium heat, melt butter, add apples, pecans, syrup and cinnamon and cook until apples are slightly tender. Pour apple mixture over bread cubes. Press down lightly to make sure bread is well soaked. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set in center. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; serve with maple syrup. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

This can be mixed up the night before and refrigerated. Just bake 10 minutes longer than directed above.

I found this, along with lots of other great recipes on Starr's blog. All of her recipes that I have tried have been super tasty (if only they were healthy, too!).

New Music for Mommy!

Okay...it's really for the boys, but I LOVE it! If you have never heard Frances England's music- it's worth a listen! If you're like me, I get one of the kids songs stuck in my head and sing it all day- and sometimes it drives me nuts singing about the wheels on the bus or Zaccheaus being such a wee little man... you get the idea! I adore Frances' newest CD, Family Tree:

It's the perfect mix of silly and sweet with a twist of folk- the perfect dancing and singing music. The boys and I danced around to "Animal Inside" and "Fast Train to Grandma's House" all evening. Just my fun pick for some music that will not only make your kids belt out a tune, but you as well!

Gavin and Carter

I haven't written an update about what the boys are up to in a little while... Thought I'd let you know that:

Carter isn't just walking these days he's also running and each day we find him climbing on something new (and consequently higher than the day before!). He has been picking up signing very quickly- he now signs: Please, thank you, more, aunt, up, down and cup. His favorite words to say all day long (outside of mama and dada) are: more, Bruce (our cat), dog, more, bird, woof-woof, that, Melman (his favorite stuffy) and Gaf (his version of Gavin). He's feeding himself with a spoon and refuses to let us feed him anymore! He loves peas, any kind of meat and black olives. He carries Melman (his giraffe stuffy) and his blankie around the house with him most days. He loves to play with anything that Gavin is playing with! He adores his big brother and especially loves to hide under blankets with him or to be buried in blocks by him!

Gavin is into superheros- mostly thanks to the superman/batman jammies his Memaw sent! He loves his school and is making progress speaking Russian- he knows all his numbers and colors in Russian, along with lots of other things- but those are the newest! He loves Sunday School b/c he gets to sing in Russian and his class is taught by his babysitter, Lena. If you ask him what his favorite food is, he'll probably say chicken and fries, and his favorite color (most days) is green. He has recently 'mastered' the skill of cutting paper and asks for scissors and scrap paper everyday so he can cut it up into little pieces! He is easily the size of a 6 year old with the unending energy of a typical 3 year old! He loves dancing and making up his own songs.

There you go! Now...I just need to take a recent picture of the two of them together! Maybe I'll get to that today! Have a blessed Sunday!

Decision '08

Tonight's theme at English Cafe was Elections in America. We didn't think we would have too many students tonight b/c today is a 'work day' (due to taking off Monday and Tuesday for national holidays- I know...what's the point of having a day off when you have to work on a Saturday to make up for it- but such is life here) So, many of our students worked or studied today. To our surprise we had the highest attendance we've had all year! We watched a short film on the Electoral College, and had our own 'mock election'- the students formed their own parties (The White Bear Party, The Sweet Party, The Royal Party and The Great Republican Party), each nominated their own candidate, and presented their own platforms- in the end they elected Sasha (note to Chuck- the same Sasha that was at English Camp this summer, though she went by Alex at camp!). She was party of the Great Republican Party and ran on a platform that everyone should have discounts at their favorite stores and the city should be redone in pink! Anyway...in case you're wondering, if our students were voting American citizens they would have elected Barack Obama (60%). Interesting, huh? We'll see if they are in line with those that show up at the polls on Tuesday!

Thanks for remembering our family- we had some great conversations with our students tonight and a great response to the English Camp we are planning for January. Please pray that we would find a great place to hold it very soon and that we could take care of many of the details before we leave for our visa trip on the 17th. Thanks!!!! Have a great Saturday!

Brave Knight Gavin

We just got back from the best ever visit to a clinic/hospital/doctor we've EVER had here in Russia. It's coming up on 3 months since we renewed our visas and time to do it again- so we headed off early this morning to go to the city HIV/AIDS clinic to get our required blood tests that we need to apply for a new visa. Last time we were there there were a few hundred people waiting in line to go in- today there were only 3! We told Gavin yesterday that we were going to the doctor today and that he was going to get a shot- for which he was very excited- crazy kid! We talked about Blue (from Blue's Clues) and Gavin retold us several times how she got a shot and the doctor counted to 3 and Blue felt a pinch then she got a fun band aid. He repeated "1,2,3, pinch!" all the way to the clinic. Everyone there remembered us and was very apologetic that we had to have blood drawn again! Funny...like it was their fault :) We finally went into the lab to have our blood drawn- JB went first and Gavin watched. They took 2 vials of blood from JB, which I thought was a bit strange, plus they didn't get a pediatric needle out for Gavin- I just figured I would ask them when it was Gavin's turn to go. Gavin jumped up in JB's lap to have his 'turn' but the nurses insisted that I was next. Okay. So, again Gavin sat and watched with anticipation. They only took one vial of my blood and told me they would just issue Carter a certificate w/ my results. Gavin then sat down for his turn and was very disappointed to find out that he didn't need to have his "shot"! The nurses just took an extra vial of JB's blood and put Gavin's name on it! They didn't want to have anything to do with poking a child unnecessarily- they reasoned that if his results were negative 3 months ago why would they be any different today. Then, of course, they opened up the big box of chocolates sitting on their desk and let Carter and Gavin choose one! As Carter chowed down on his very first piece of melting chocolate candy, Gavin broke down crying- he wanted his shot! What???? What kid wants a shot?! So, when we got out to the car JB pretended to give him a shot and then put on the special character band aid that I had brought with us- that seemed to satisfy him. I am very thankful for such a brave little knight! I can't understand how he could possibly be sad they didn't take his blood, but I'm very thankful that he's not frightened of doctors and needles- especially since we have to do this again in another 3 months! Next time we go, we'll be bringing the ladies chocolate! They were so kind to us and sweet to our children!

I'm loved! Or at least my blog is... !

Kristy tagged me and gave me this blog award - At least I now know there are people out there who read my ramblings!

According to the rules, I need to answer the following questions, all with one-word answers (except I'm going to ignore that one-word part), then tag 7 other bloggers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse.
2. Where is your significant other? On the computer.
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Amazing, creative, loving.
5. Your father? Hard-working, affectionate, a great Dad.
6. Your favorite thing? Christmas gift that JB made me 2 years ago- it's a folding wooden screen w/ picture frames filled with photos of us and the boys.
7. Your dream last night? scary.
8. Your dream/goal? many.
9. The room you’re in? My living room.
10. Your hobby? Anything crafty.
11. Your fear? Being in a plane when it goes down.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here.
13. Where were you last night? Home.
14. What you’re not? Bold.
15. One of your wish list items? A house with a yard.
16. Where you grew up? Pittsburgh.
17. The last thing you did? Kissed Gavin good night.
18. What are you wearing? Yoga pants.
19. Your tv? Friends, Season 10.
20. Your pet? Elbrus.
21. Your computer? Mac, baby!
22. Your mood? Nostalgic.
23. Missing someone? Friends and family in the States.
24. Your car? 2001 Yellow Ford Escape.
25. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes.
26. Favorite store? Old Navy.
27. Your summer? Too short.
28. Love someone? Lots of someones.
29. Your favorite color? Brown.
30. When was the last time you laughed? Minutes ago, before Gavin went to bed.
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday... I can barely watch a movie w/o finding something that makes me cry!

Tag, you're it...
Blythe
Sarah
Melissa
Rebecca Jo
Kim
Crystal
Shana

Everyday Life: Cooking in Russia

As we're anticipating my sister, Sarah, coming to live with us for 5 weeks and experience life here in Russia, we've been thinking of all the things that might be 'unusual' for her about our everyday lives. So, I thought I might occasionally post about different aspects of our everyday lives. One of the biggest adjustments for me get used to was cooking.

I've always loved to cook, but I've never been the type of person to cook something from scratch, just because I could. Suddenly, I found myself living in a world where you have to prepare nearly everything from scratch. No casserole can be made by just adding a can of condensed soup- you have to make the soup yourself. Forget about buying Bob Evans sausage- you have to either grind pork or hope to find it already ground, then add spices. Good luck trying to find jarred baby food w/o sugar, fat or tons of added preservatives- what do you do? Make it yourself. Canned pumpkin? Nope. Cake/ brownie mixes? No. Salad dressing? Unless you like mayo on your salad- forget it! Pre-made pie crust? Ha! Spaghetti sauce (that's not 5$/jar)? Make it yourself. Macaroni and cheese? Grate your own cheese and make homemade sauce. You're really in trouble if you're on the search for reduced-fat or reduced-calorie options you're pretty much limited to skim milk... I don't think I've ever seen reduced-fat/fat-free sour cream or creamer or anything like that. So, you get the idea. Almost anything you want, especially any type of American-ish food, you have to make it yourself or come up with a good substitute. I've learned that potato starch is as good as corn starch and honey works in recipes that call for corn syrup (though it burns faster- watch out!). And pumpkin or squash tastes nearly identical to sweet potatoes when you bake a casserole. Then...there's the challenge of learning the metric system and trying to read labels- that's worthy of a whole post of it's own!

Finally, the wonderful world of baking. I commented to a friend the other day that baking in Russia isn't so much a matter of skill or know-how, but more a matter of how well you understand your oven (and if your building has gas on that given day!- again, another post!!!). I have lived in 3 different apartments with 3 different ovens and not one of them has baked the same (or well, for that matter!). First of all, very few ovens actually have temperature settings on them- you have to look at the size of the flame and 'guess'- trust me, you get to be pretty good at guessing correctly with lots of practice (or perhaps an oven thermometer someone sent from America!). You learn quickly that 180C is 350F. If your oven is like mine the lowest temperature setting is around 400F. Just imagine how many things I've burned! How do you deal with an oven like mine? Very carefully :) I typically put what ever I'm baking in right as I light the oven- so it's still cold. I never preheat or else whatever I am cooking burns. Then, there's the matter of the back and front of my oven being very, very hot and the middle and sides significantly less hot- I set my timer religiously so I don't forget to turn whatever I'm baking or it will surely burn.

There you go. Another taste of life as we know it. What's for dinner tonight? Homemade chicken fingers and homemade potato wedges. At least we have the added benefit of knowing exactly what goes into your food when you're the one making everything- no guessing if there are preservatives or anything else questionable!

vkontakte

I had a nice laugh when I logged onto Vkontakte (Russian version of Facebook) to chat w/ some of our English Cafe students- this is what I found as the new picture on the English Cafe Group page!

The students who organized the group apparently know how to use photoshop! The background is what we use for all our flyers and stuff- they added the rest!

A Day In the Life

I wouldn't call today a "normal" day...but then again, I'm not exactly sure what normal is anymore- seems like each day brings something unique- you just never know who will stop by or what could happen. This is definitely a good place to live if you're okay never knowing what to expect!

Welcome to our lives! Last night around 7pm a worker knocked on our door to let us know they were doing remodeling in our building and would be working on our pipes today and tomorrow- so someone needed to be home. Okay. Knowing that they would be working on our pipes and assuming they meant water pipes (and not gas) we made sure the kids were bathed, the dishes were washed and we had plenty of water filtered and in 5liter bottles. JB left early this morning to go help our friend Edik at his wood shop (he makes frames). Well, I should say he tried to leave early but couldn't find his document holder (containing his driver license, passport, money, credit cards, bank card, etc-) not something you want to lose or get in your car without! After a half hour of searching and praying JB left to retrack his steps back from the grocery store last night, thinking perhaps he might have dropped it- only to get half way there and remember that he put it high up on a shelf when he was putting things away (thus WAY out of my eyesight and his as well apparently.). Okay- found the documents, JB takes off into now really bad traffic. As he's at Edik's up to his elbows in sawdust I am visited by 2 older men in very dirty suits (yes, suit coats and matching pants!). These are the guys that want to work on our pipes. They open the door to our toilet room (we have one room w/ a toilet and the other has a sink and tub/shower) and don't look happy- we have floor to ceiling tile. They then begin to tell me how they're going to need to remove all the tile on the back wall, take out the toilet, tear apart the brick wall behind the tile and replace the 40yr old pipes that are there. Hmm. Better call Yelena, our landlady.

Too bad Yelena lives just outside the city limits and thus has NO cell service (and consequently no land line!). I tried calling for the next 5 hours. And every half hour one of the guys came down to find out if I had gotten a hold of her yet (and each time chewing me out for not having called her yesterday to find out if it was okay to destroy the new tile they just put up last year!). Finally I get a hold of her around 1:00 and she's a worried b/c she just drove w/in cell service and saw that I had called her 15 times! She of course didn't want anyone touching her new tile and said she would come over to talk with the workers in person. They were glad to hear we had finally gotten a hold of her- but not happy to learn she couldn't get here till after 5pm!

Meanwhile the boys were tired of being inside all day while I waited for phone calls and getting on each others last nerve. I fed them lunch and put them down for naps- only to be awoken by the loud drilling, sawing and hammering happening throughout the building. Gavin woke up so frightened by the loud noise and vibrating walls that he wet the bed- again, unfortunate that we don't have any water to wash the sheets or Gavin. Even stinkier that he has to use the potty (#2) and we have no water to flush...so what does the resourceful mother do???? Lines his potty seat w/ a shopping bag, ties up the goods and deposits them in the outgoing trash bag- it would figure today would be the day he decides to empty his entire colon- making me the lucky mom who got to repeat this 3 more times.

So, Yelena shows up at 4pm- an hour earlier than she anticipated and threatens the workers if they break one single tile! So, they got started right away removing each tile very carefully and stacking them in our hallway. Then they began to tear apart the wall and remove the toilet. 3 hours later they left. Leaving me a giant mess of cement dust to clean up and still having no water!

About they time they left JB finally got home- he left Edik's at lunch time to exchange money- but all the banks nearby were closed for lunch and wouldn't reopen till 3! He didn't want to drive anywhere else to exchange money b/c traffic mid day is terrible- so he purchased a few things at a nearby store then waited for the bank to open. After he exchanged money he went to our insurance company to pay for our car insurance. Traffic was so terrible he didn't get home until nearly 7pm!

While JB was waiting in traffic I was trying to make dinner, but to no avail- Carter was so scared b/c of all the noise he couldn't be consoled and I couldn't stand trying to cook in a kitchen filled with cement dust- so I just waited till they finished and JB got home. During dinner our friend called and we invited her to stop over and have something to eat with us- Lena stayed for an hour or two and left right before JB- He left to do some grocery shopping at our local SAM's-type store (called Metro)- the traffic is much better after 9pm and Metro is open till Midnight!

As I type the boys are asleep, our building is finally absent of all drilling, hammering and sawing, JB hasn't made it back from Metro yet, and I'm beyond exhausted! I'm off to bed, only to do this again tomorrow...only no one knows exactly what will be in store! Will we have water tomorrow night? Will we have unplanned dinner guests? How long will I be cleaning up cement dust? Guess you'll have to check back here tomorrow to find out!

It's Halloween at The English Cafe

Last night at The English Cafe we talked about Halloween in America. We watched a short clip about the origins of Halloween and some of the traditions that come along with it. Some of the students even came in costume (for the promise of a prize!). JB and I also dressed up- I was Lady Liberty and he was a "work of art"- he wore a picture frame around his neck!

The highlight of the night was carving jack o'lanterns! I have never seen people quite so excited!





Here they are all lit up! The last on the right was voted their favorite!

And of course, we had to introduce them to bobbing for apples! It is amazing what people will do for a candy bar! I'm not sure any amount of chocolate would make me want to get my head soaking wet only to head out into the freezing night to go home!






We've been so excited to see the relationships between our students growing- last night several of them decided to form an English Cafe group on vkontakte.ru (basically a Russian version of facebook) I logged on today and there are already a bunch of our students that have joined and posted a bunch of photos- it will be neat to see how their relationships continue throughout the week!

Play Outdoors

I know there aren't many of you out there that have to worry about how to keep your kids warm in sub-zero temps- at least not in October! But...for those of you that need some warm winter duds for the little cuties of yours- check out this site. We looked all over the place trying to find the warmest boots and snow gear for our kids... we ended up buying them all at different places. I wish we had known about Outdoor Kids earlier! They had the same boots and ultra-warm snow pants we found our boys- at decent prices!

Blessed.

The past several days I have been struck with how the Lord has SO greatly blessed us. There are numerous things I could list- but what has be in the forefront of my mind is how he has blessed us with incredibly people to watch our kids and love them when we're not able to be home. In Krasnodar we had the greatest nanny ever- Inna.


She loved Gavin like he was her own child- and we loved her dearly. She became one of my closest friends and an incredible support to me. When we moved here we were blessed to find Lena- she started just babysitting for us on occasion and over the past year she has been our regular sitter- every Thursday night while we have Action Group and Saturdays during English Cafe and Tuesdays and Wednesdays while we're studying with our tutor... not to mention, she always house sits for us when we are out of town...


She has become so dear to us and our boys. Gavin has this incredible respect and love for her- he knows not to cross her :) and he loves her dearly- he almost always cries when it's time for her to go home! We found out not too long ago, that we would be losing Lena- she accepted an offer to run a business here for a Christian-run company centered in Moscow. While being happy for her b/c of the great opportunity and financial provision this job would be provide-we were very sad to know that she wouldn't be available to watch our boys any longer. Her store opens on Tuesday. I feel like I'm losing Lena, as well. She has become one of my very closest friends here- it's nice to have a girlfriend here to pray with, shop with and drink coffee with! I'm sure we'll still see her lots though :)

Little update... I started writing this several days ago and wasn't able to finish it- Thursday evening, Lena called, just as Action Group was starting and I was trying to keep Gavin quiet and busy while we were getting ready for prayer time- she said she was finally free and wanted to know if I could use some 'help' b/c she was on her way home and getting ready to pass our place. Of course I took her up on the offer! Then Friday night she called and offered to watch the boys when she was done w/ work so we could both go to English Cafe- little did she know that everyone else I had called to watch the boys for Saturday night hadn't been available! So... then, when she gets here Saturday night she tells me that she's worked it out that she'll be available to watch our boys during our ministry events and while we're studying! I didn't know what to say- I just started crying. There's lots more to add about how God has blessed me and our family so much through these two women- but It really sank in big time when she told me how she had specially arranged her schedule just because she wanted to watch our boys. God is so good.

Baby, It's (gonna get really) Cold Outside

September 26th was the day the snow first fell...thus marking the beginning of winter for us. Today, as Gavin was getting his 'snow boots', coat, hat and scarf on to go for a short walk outside- JB informed me that it was only 34 F outside and it really wasn't that cold. He then proceeded to remind me that it will get 70 degrees colder outside before we hit the lowest temps we're likely to see this winter! 70 more degrees, really!!!??

So...what do you do when it gets cold outside?



Learn to play hockey! Gavin has been wanting to learn to ice skate for some time now- and when we learned that there are no soccer programs for kids under 7, we started to look around for other options to help Gavin "expend some extra energy." What did we find out? There is a sports 'school' for children a few blocks from our house that offers beginning skating and hockey for children starting at 3 yrs old!!! So... as soon as we get Gavin his own skates he'll be on his way to becoming the next Mario Lemieux! lol.

And of course, no post would be complete without a photo of Carter... Here his is learning to feed himself and very proud of his new found mess-making skills!

Coffee&Love

Thanks to all of you have must have been praying...because JB and I haven't fallen victim to the horrible virus that took over the rest of our family last week! Thank you!

Coffee, anyone? Yesterday was the 2nd meeting of our ladies club and it went great! We had 10 ladies gathered around the table decoupaging boxes, vases, canisters, jars, cards and all kinds of other things. We introduced the first chapter of Captivating during our coffee break with a short YouTube/Disney tribute to princesses! The resulting conversation was comical as each of the ladies couldn't decide which princess they would rather be...though it was no problem for me- Jasmine wins hands down. If I could have found an Arabian-themed wedding gown I wouldn't have opted for the poofy-skirted cinderella gown with matching 'glass' slippers and tiara! But, who's complaining?! :) I wanted to share with you a snippet of the conversation that went while we all had glue-filled paintbrushes in hand... I'm not sure how it all got started, but the ladies began sharing one by one about how they never heard their parents say "I love you," when they were growing up. Most of the ladies are in their 30's. Wow. One woman was telling me how shocked she was the first time she watched Santa Barbara (it was hugely popular here!)- she just couldn't believe a parent could be so affectionate to a child! After watching it, she asked her mom if she loved her- of course she answered "yes"- but when she asked why she had never told her that before, her mother replied that she didn't feel any need to. Huh. Another woman told us how strange it was for her to go to America as a teenager (foreign exchange student about 15 yrs ago) and witness how affectionate Americans were to their children. She said it actually made her uncomfortable?! The stories just went on and on. Please, pray with me, that this book and our discussions will be a doorway for the Lord to work in their hearts that so desperately long for the love only our Father can give.

I'm sick

I'm sick...mostly sick in the head- why? Because I've been trying to get everything I need to get done for next week finished...(here's the 'sick' part) b/c I'm convinced I'm going to get sick w/ this same thing the boys have. Yep, Carter's got it now :( . JB keeps laughing at me b/c I'm putting off the work I can do while I'm sick (returning emails, writing letters, finishing my part of the newsletter, etc.), in leau of all the stuff I know I won't be able to do if/when I get this lovely virus! I'm a loser. I know it...but can't help planning for what seems like the inevitable! And, if I don't get sick- then I'll have some free time in the very near future!

sick in Siberia

I'm so glad that Gavin has friends that don't hesitate to share...even if it's their illnesses! I'm sure this won't be the last time they share their germs with one another! 36 hours ago Gavin woke up vomiting- that went one for the next day and he developed a fever and of course the lovely diarrhea that comes along with pleasant virus! I'm not sure I've even seen Gavin this miserable- he has barely moved from the couch over the last 2 days- even if the only thing on the TV is news- he just lays there and watches it. Poor guy. We're especially bummed since the past 2 days the weather has been beautiful! Sunny and in the low 60's! Unseasonably warm for this part of Russia and this time of the year- too bad they're forecasting snow for this weekend!

"Look, I have a Hecock!"
Our friend, Jordan, was telling us the other day how is his 3-yr old daughter, Lydia picked up one of her little people figures and told he and Heather "Look, I have a Hecock"- they were a bit confused, so they asked her to repeat what she said...sure enough, they hadn't misheard- she said she was holding a "Hecock" in her hand- When they corrected her and told her that she meant she has a "peacock, not a Hecock"- she replied- "Yeah, I know, I have a Hecock"! This is the same sweet Lydia that, when confused as to whether to call me "mom" , like Gavin does, or by some other title, she informed me that "sometimes me and my family just call you "the Hecocks"! "

Have a great Tuesday!

Brotherly love

Those of you who know us well, and even those of you who don't, most likely know who "George" is. He is Gavin's very favorite stuffed animal- a blue elephant (actually, he has 3 identical ones). Gavin goes very few places w/o George in tow-he's graduated to leaving him in the car or in his backpack, but we never leave overnight w/o him. So, as you can imagine- Gavin is very protective of his closest friend, George. Tonight isn't the first time I've seen this, but finally have time to write a post about it- I walked into the boys room after they (finally!!!) fell asleep. Carter's lovey (a giraffe, named Melman) was lost somewhere in the house, so he had to go to bed w/o him- so, sometime during his crying and playing w/ Gavin (all while they were supposed to be sleeping...you can just imagine), Gavin gave Carter 2 of his Georges! I walked in to find Gavin asleep tightly clutching his remaining George and Carter has the other two neatly tucked, one under each arm! Seeing that makes all the 'wrestling' and 'pushing' and 'yelling at' that Gavin does to Carter all day, not seem so bad- he really does love his little brother.

Carter is coming into his own person more and more each day. Today I found him standing on top of the end tables pulling the kleenex out of the box and dropping them on the floor, I found him standing on the back of the couch (fortunately our couch is up against a wall!)...not to mention all the times I found him pushing chairs around trying to climb up on them to 'scale' the baby gate! Smart, smart kid. We need to put his climbing skills to use very soon- the REI in Pittsburgh offers Tot Climbing on Friday mornings...you better bet we'll be there with our big kid and our little 'spiderman'!

Gotta go- JB should be home any moment now-he's been gone in Moscow since Wednesday early morning and his flight landed here not too long ago! Can't wait to see him- especially since he's bearing gifts of Starbucks coffee and Papa Johns...gotta love Moscow! :)

Some Pics from Today

Here are some pics from this evening! We had a crazy day- mostly b/c Tuesdays and Wednesdays JB and I study and the boys were in "rare form" from the moment they woke each other up this morning! So, this evening we decided to take the animals out for some fresh air- and while we were at it we snapped some photos of the boys sporting their fun fall sweaters- this just may be the last day I can get away w/ taking their coats and hats off outside! They're calling for snow and freezing temps over the next few days :( Enjoy the pics- the last 2 are my favorites!!! I love our sweet boys- even when they are little rascals!

Gavin getting "it out of his system"

so many leaves...so little time

mom and her little guys! Aren't they sweet???!

Happy Fall!

More pics

Some pics, just to catch up.....

Gavin during one of our walks the other day at a park near our house

We were hoping for more fall leaves- but the only ones that weren't green were on the ground :)

Gavin and Lydia...not sure what's up with his "look"???

Lena, Katya and Naira

Naira, Lena and Katya came over and we made chicken enchiladas, guacamole and brownies for dessert- fun, fun, fun!

Happy Birthday, Gavin!

Today we received a 'record-breaking' package- It only took 5 MONTHS to get here- up till now, no package has taken longer than 3 1/2 months to reach our PO Box. This package was a special birthday box from a special group of kids at The Bridge Church in Suffolk, Va.. I had pretty much resigned myself that their package had been lost- but today we were able to play Gavin's first ever game of Candy Land and he enjoyed snacking on some Goldfish crackers and Animal Cookies!





Thanks so much Bridge Kids for the wonderful package! Gavin especially enjoyed the DVD of everyone singing Happy Birthday :) !!! THANKS!

Firsts

What a great day of "firsts"!!!

Gavin had a great first day at school! He didn't want to leave- he would have stayed for another few hours if he could of! He loved his teacher (her name is Masha- think Marsha w/o the 'r'). And one of his classmates is named Dasha which just happens to be the name of his favorite cartoon character (Dasha is how they translate Dora the Explorer)!

Tonight was also the first English Cafe of the year- it was GREAT! We had so many of our students from last year come and quite a few first time visitors! Everyone was so excited to see us and to see each other- it was so much fun! We've already made 'dates' to have a few over and the guys from Action Group are planning a "Men's Day" next week- they're going to go fishing and grill out, etc. - and JB was able to invite a few guys to that, tonight as well. And, several of the girls are planning on coming to our first Ladies Club of the year next Saturday night. We are really looking forward to a great year of EC and all the chances that the Lord will provide for us to build closer relationships with our students!!

Boy walks for the first time

After 14 months, Carter finally decided it was time to walk on his own! For weeks now he's been walking and only holding onto one finger of ours...today he finally let go! Too bad I wasn't there to witness it! Ack! I just knew I was going to miss his first steps! Thursdays we have Action Group at our house- so Lena, our sitter, takes the boys out to play for a few hours, then they come back and the boys take a bath and go to bed. Lena brought the boys back early tonight- she pulled Carter out of the stroller and announced to me that my little boy is walking! I could barely believe (and barely hold back my tears of disappointment that he had been walking for an hour already and I had missed it!). I'll have to wait till tomorrow to watch my former-baby stroll, or waddle as the case is, across our living room floor- he was too tired tonight to do any walking for mom- he got "walked out" at the park by Lena!!! I'll post video if I get the opportunity- Stayed tuned!

Gavin's adventure

Gavin loves trains and pretty much every other form of transportation known to man! We've been blessed to have windows in our apartment where Gavin can stand and watch the trains go by (there are train tracks across the street from us). We often cross the street and watch the trains come and go from the station on our block. Lena, our babysitter, asked if she could take Gavin on an adventure today while we were studying- they got on a tram (trolley) near our house and rode it several blocks to the nearest METRO stop- then they rode the METRO several stops to another train station- then got on the train and rode it one stop to the station near our home. All for less than a dollar!!!!! Public transport here is one of the most affordable things in this country! And the conductor on the train let Gavin and Lena ride for free since they were only going one stop! Gavin couldn't have had more fun! All day he's been going on and on about the green train he and Lena rode! So, sure enough, one of these wintery days they will make another trip around the city :)

Things I love about Russia # 211

Everywhere we've lived we've had the blessing of making "friends" with the local vendors near our homes. Today, I was reminded that this is one of the things I love about this country... There are still fruit/veggie vendors and little kiosks along the streets. Every few days we stop by "Our" fruit and veggie stand to buy some fresh produce. She always knows exactly what kind of apples we want and which tomatoes we like best. She waves and yells "hi" to us when we past by her stand when we are out walking and often gives Gavin a free banana and wishes him "good health"! Today when I walked up to her window with Gavin, she knew that it was time for us to buy tomatoes, apples and onions! What?! She had even set aside some really good apples for us! The fact that we're finally getting to know our neighbors after living here a year, makes me sad that we have less than a year before we'll be back in the states for our year of Home Assignment... It's taken so long to get to know people enough to just earn the right to have them over- and now we'll be leaving so soon. More the reason to make the most of every opportunity!

Not today

We've kind of kept Gavin out of the loop when regarding trying to find a preschool for him. He has talked about going to school for awhile now, so I didn't want him to be disappointed if it didn't work out. So, finally, last night we told him that we would be going to school this morning. He was so excited! He woke up this morning and was excited to get dressed and happily walked out the front door with his his umbrella in his hand singing "I'm going to school...". We get to the school, and as we walk from the parking lot inside the building where the school is located (it's in an office type building on the first floor) he's telling me how his teacher will be there and there will be other kids and how he's going to listen to his teacher, etc. We were a few minutes early, but when we go to the door to the school- no one was there. We rang the bell- no answer. So, we waited. We waited for 20 minutes. I called the director several times- her line was busy. We've probably called 30 times over the last week and it's only not been busy 2 or 3 times! So, Gavin and I walked out to the car- with tears streaming down his disappointed face. I decided to take Gavin on a "date." I drove to our favorite bakery and let him pick out a doughnut and he decided that he wanted tea to drink (instead of juice...he likes to feel like a grown-up!) and I had a coffee. We chatted and enjoyed some mom/son time before heading home. It just broke my heart to hear him, the whole time in the car, repeating "Please, mommy, school, please, I want to go to school, please, please, mom..." So, we'll try again next Saturday! It turns out that the teacher called yesterday to say they cancelled classes today, but Carter somehow changed the settings on my phone so that it automatically goes to voicemail w/o ringing- so I never heard the phone ring and never got the message (since we don't have voicemail!) I'm not sure when Carter had my phone- but I can't explain how else my settings got changed! So- we're praying his class works out to meet next Saturday or that a spot opens up in the preschool so that he can start attending during the week- very soon!

One of my favorite places on this earth...

is sitting in the rocking chair in the boys room with one (or both of them!) in my arms. There are very few things that compare to the wonderful feeling of a warm cuddly child in your arms. Somehow it just makes all the effects of the constant screaming, early mornings, dirty diapers, messy toys, spilled juice and unrolled rolls of toilet paper... all fade away. Carter was in a horrible mood all afternoon- a direct result of his playing in his bed and not napping during nap time. We decided to take a family walk to the reenok (market) in the rain. Gavin happily splashed through the puddles in his rain boots but Carter screamed the whole time. He didn't like being bundled up in his snow suit- yes, it is THAT cold- and he liked even less having the rain cover over his stroller- he screamed so much he completely fogged up the entire cover so he couldn't see- which made him scream even more. I eventually pulled him out of the stroller and carried him- only to get yelled at by every women who came in sight of us-"he must be cold, his head's too hot, his head's too cold, he's uncomfortable, he doesn't have a scarf on, he needs fresh air- take him out of the stroller, he's getting wet- you should put him back in the stroller..." etc. You get the idea! Not to mention the ladies that kept coming up and fixing his hat or pulling up his hood or loosening his snow suit- ahh! I remember why I quit taking kids to the market with me- I just can't handle the plethora of unwanted advise from every lady between the ages of 30 and 90! So, a few pumpkins and a kilo of blueberries later we head home, unhappy baby in arms. I give Carter a bottle when we get in and sit down, frustrated and irritated, in my rocking chair. I wrap him in a warm, fuzzy blanket and rock him. Amazing how all that was filling my mind melted away the longer I held my littlest son. Then...he fell asleep. Poor kid was so tired. That'll teach him to play during nap time! Ha. Right.

Not IT

So... today's preschool wasn't the place- for many reasons. So, I called the school I liked near our house (that doesn't have a spot available) again and I'm taking Gavin there tomorrow morning for one of the classes they offer on Saturdays and Sundays. The director told me that often they have spots open up for the preschool throughout the year and that if Gavin enjoys the classes that they can call us when a spot opens up. I'm looking forward to going to class with Gavin tomorrow and watching him interact with the other 3yr olds...and hopefully getting to meet some more moms! The school is called "Seashell" and it's a Montessori preschool- I'll update you all tomorrow on, hopefully the end, of the great "Preschool Search"!

Friday at 2am

EST I'll be checking out another preschool for Gavin! Please pray for wisdom for me as I talk to the teachers and see the facility- it's a very small private preschool that is not far from our home. I got in touch with several other preschools today, but they are all WAY out of our price range or they don't offer an option for Gavin to only attend half days- I just don't think he'd have a positive experience if he went from 9am-6pm... not to mention I would really miss having him home! We've decided if this preschool I'm looking at tomorrow isn't the place, then we'll just take Gavin to some "educational classes" (aka play group w/ kids his age!) at a school nearby- It's only 2 hrs on Mondays and Wednesdays and I would have to attend with him, but it would still be a great opportunity to meet kid his age that live nearby and I could meet some more moms- so that wouldn't be a bad option either!

Thanks to all of you who were praying for our lunch w/ Igor yesterday- it went great! He is so interested in the Gospel and very eager to talk about it! He just got back from spending the summer in Anapa on the Black Sea (not far from where we lived in Krasnodar). He spent the summer with his Grandmother (a believer). He spoke very highly of her- she and his grandfather are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this year! He attributes their loving marriage and joy-filled long lives to their faith in God. Please pray that our Father continues to work in Igor's life!!!

You can "buy" just about anything...

So, it seems like we've been searching for a preschool for Gavin for way too long now. I've been all over the Internet, on the phone and polling parents on the playground since last Spring. What I've learned is that I should have signed Gavin up for preschool days after he was born- and I'd probably still be on the waiting list! Our region of the city has the longest waiting list for public preschools- and consequently the fewest number of private preschools! All the places we've visited have offered Gavin a spot in their school (w/o waiting our turn on the list) if I come and work. If only that didn't defeat the purpose of sending him to preschool- to get away from those of us who speak English! :) What did I learn today? I can "buy" a spot on the waiting list! I was on the Internet looking for preschools in our region again and ran across a forum of moms selling/trading spots on the waiting lists in different regions of the city...maybe this might be worth looking into :) I have 4 places to call tomorrow- lets pray we find some good options so we don't have to buy a spot in line just to get Gavin into a school a few mornings/week!!!

My Little Men

(Gavin is really trying to hug Carter, not strangle him- I promise!)

I'm so glad to be the Mom of boys. People often ask me, or rather just state in disbelief, "Don't you want a girl?!"... it's not that I wouldn't like to have a daughter- but I am beyond content to be the the mother of only boys. Not because I have them all figured out- that is definitely NOT the case- but b/c I genuinely love mothering boys. Plus...if we ever have a girl- I think it would be great for her to have not only a Dad, but big brothers to watch over her and teach her what real men are like.

I've had a bit of opportunity this summer to do some reading - not something I usually find time for outside of reading "Barnyard Dance" and "Moo, Baa, La La La"! When Chuck came in July, he was able to bring a few books over that we had ordered. One of them was one I came across on Amazon and thought might be worth a read- it's on being a mother to boys. It's written with special focus to those single moms who are courageously raising their sons alone. As I was reading, I had so many of those "ah ha" moments where behaviors I see in Gavin just clicked and suddenly made sense... simple things like why he so loud and always has to throw and climb things. Simply put- he is a boy. Sound so simple- but the world of boys/men is so foreign to me as a women! Reading "That's My Son" really ignited my passion to not just raise our boys- but to help them become good men. Men who are brave and courageous, who are not afraid to make their mark on the world, who will be loving husbands and fathers and who will love and serve the Lord. Most of all, I'm so thankful that Gavin and Carter have such a wonderful example of a real man in their father- I'm so blessed to be married to such a wonderful, Godly man!