My Parents are Coming! Whoop Whoop!

In less than a week my parents will start their long journey here! They drive 3 hours to Uncle Ken's house, spend Christmas Day there eating lots of good food with family, and then fly out of Minneapolis bright and early the next morning. They fly to JFK, collect our bag (full of special requests like puppy chow, maple syrup and an apple peeler-corer-slicer) and check in for their flight to Moscow. They have nearly 24 hours in Moscow to get a quick taste of the less rugged version of Russia before they board their 4-hour flight here! To say I cannot WAIT is an understatement. I've had a dull headache everyday for the last month and am in dire need of my chiropractor. And a significantly improved adult to kid ratio is really exciting too. It is amazing how much energy is required to get around here with a toddler and 3-year-old in tow. We haven't been doing much exploring lately, as a result. But, we have a long list of places we want to check out when mom and dad are here; we just booked a few nights at an AirBnB goat farm outside the city (we were looking for a cabin in the woods, but the only places we could find didn't have running water or electricity, and we weren't feeling quite that adventurous), and there is a circus, puppet theater, huge indoor water park and Dolphin show yet to visit. I'm tired just thinking about it. I should be able to get a little extra relaxation while they are here, and certainly less cooking, cleaning, and dish washing.

We are still recovering from a really busy week of Special company. We had the privilege of having Joyce stay with us for a week, and Priscilla for three nights as well. They were both great to have around, but is was a bit busier around here trying to keep clothes on the boys and preparing proper meals. Finn loved having extra people around to pester and coerce into playing with him. I think they enjoyed him too, although Joyce did say, during one of Finn's fits of extreme stubbornness, "You never know how you are helping us stay in our place" which I interpreted to mean: "Parenting. You all are doing a fine job of reminding us how challenging it is, and that we aren't missing out on anything fantastic." Oiy. Glad we can do our part. :-p

It is really interesting to notice the changes in Finn's language skills. When we first moved here he knew how to count to 11 (in English) and kind of knew the ABCs; he seems to have forgotten those things (hopefully it isn't due to my poor parenting), but has been picking up more and more Russian. He is best at reprimanding and parenting Lev, probably because that is what he hears the most. He will appropriately use "nelzya" or "ne nado" when he doesn't want Lev to touch or play with something, and he frequently tells him to "poidyom" when it is time to go. He will also offer something to Lev and say "ty khochesh"? He can say "menya zovut Finn" and has thank you and you're welcome, hello and good-bye all pretty well figured out too. There are many more words and phrases I hear him say throughout the day, usually inserted in the songs he makes up. Sometimes he will repeat a phrase over and over (almost absentmindedly) and then finally ask me what it means.

Lev is starting to say more, in English, as far as I can tell, but he mostly just communicates by pulling me around the house or vigorously shaking his head no. His clearest words are "mom," "uh oh," "stuck," and "all done?" He loves to wave good-bye, shake hands, give high fives and blow kisses. It is funny that he usually wants a high five after I have said "molodets" (good job), whether it is said to him or someone else. Thankfully, all of his first year molars are finally in, so he is up to 12 teeth now. In just the last couple of days he has decided to experiment with throwing epic fits; and suddenly Finn seems rather charming. I didn't think I would ever see the day! Let's hope this is just a phase.

Winter is still mostly lovely, although I'm told it has been unusually mild so far. We have only had two occasions of week-long sub-zero temperatures, but

it looks like we are just starting another one. My thermostat has adjusted such that any day that gets up to -5 degrees Fahrenheit is plenty nice enough for playing outside a few times, especially if it isn't windy. Our playground has a winter slide that the maintenance guys keep shoveled out and iced down; its a big hit, even for some of the adults in this household.

The sun rises shortly before 10 and sets around 5, but I've been surprised to discover the short days aren't nearly so depressing when I can get outside during daylight hours (instead of working all the time). I think one of best perks of being a stay-at-home mom is spending so much time outside. I really love it.

Other pictures are the aftermath of a game of Settlers, a huge bear at the mall, and the contraption that removes the snowbank from the middle of the road in front of our building. Oh! And we ordered pizza and it was delicious.