Proud Mom Moment

Finn and mom were playing a silly little matching game the other day; mom did something Finn didn't like and he exclaimed "shto ti delayesh!" (what are you doing!). Although he has been using individual words and a few phrases, this was the first time I heard him appropriately use an entire sentence; and he outsmarted his grandma, so that made it even funnier. We have been really enjoying having my parents around for the last week. We have been getting out to do something interesting almost everyday, so that has been both intriguing and exhausting. I usually have at least one child strapped to me, and sometimes end up carrying the other in my arms. Both boys are real troopers, getting toted all over the city on various forms of crowded transportation, bundled from head to toe lest we get chastised by everyone and their grandma.

Mom and dad arrived last Friday afternoon and it was still pretty cold out so we stayed in and enjoyed unpacking all the goodies from their suitcases -- it was tons of fun to refresh our meager belongings. The next morning we ventured to the aquarium and seal, beluga whale, walrus and dolphin show. The bus fares had just increased at the beginning of the month, so we weren't sure exactly how much it was, and we hadn't gotten transportation cards topped off yet for mom and dad. So, we all hopped on the crowded bus and it jolted to a start. I was holding Lev, trying to dig out my card, and helping mom get her coins out to pay the already inpatient ticket lady, all the while trying to keep my feet under me. Although it was past 9am, it was still dark and the bus was very dimly lit so it was hard to see the value of each coin, and we still hadn't been able to see around all the heads and determine what the fare was anyway. The ticket lady started jabbering angrily in Russian at us so I informed her that we don't speak Russian. But apparently I say that phrase well enough that she didn't believe us, and so she got even more angry! After a few sharp stomps of her foot she decided to give us a cold shoulder just in case we hadn't figured out that she wasn't happy with us. Luckily, Matt came to the rescue with the appropriate fare right then, but doing so left Finn to hold onto the stroller without the brakes set, so he promptly fell over and started crying. Oof. Not exactly a warm welcome to Novosibirsk for my parents, but it was mostly our fault, I suppose. Matt did get a chance to talk with the ticket lady after she had cooled off, and apparently she assumed we were Russians so we should be adept at these things, and then when we were poking through our coins squinting at them to try to see their value she figured we must be gypsies trying to rip her off. Foreigners are not common here, so once she understood we were foreigners she looked rather sheepish and apologized profusely.

Anyway, we arrived at our destination safely and made the less than 2 block walk to the aquarium. I had told mom and dad to dress lightly under their coats because we would be spending the majority of the day inside, and it is usually super-heated indoors. Apparently they didn't appreciate my advice, as it was still -24 degrees F for our short walk (which they also didn't consider all that short). Oops. Luckily, the aquarium and dolphin show were both fantastic, and dad even made friends with some of the Russians that were sitting behind us -- this big burly Russian gave dad a huge bear hug when we were parting ways, causing dad's cheeks to turn a shade of pink I hadn't seen on him before :-) Russia sure is a land of extremes!

On New Year's Eve we met Nadya, Aleksei and Matvei at Ice Town where there were many, many intricate and beautiful ice sculptures, ice castles, and nearly a dozen ice slides. It was a really exhilarating Russian experience.
On Thursday we all met up again to see the Italian Circus -- it was quite the

event! Russians take performances very seriously, and this one didn't disappoint. The first half of the show was all of the aerials and death-defying acts, and then the second half was mostly animals. They had a collection of large snakes (boa constrictors, I believe) a crocodile, elephants, zebras, camels, a horse, five tigers, a kangaroo and ostriches. The kids loved it!

Today dad bonded with the boys while mom and I went shopping around our neighborhood. I haven't seriously gone shopping since before Finn was born! We were having tons of fun trying on (and buying) Russian hats and boots. We were in something like a TJ Maxx (the closest comparison I can think of anyway), and the whole 3rd floor was full of footwear. Russians don't wear shoes indoors, so right now the selection consists only of winter boots in every shape and size, but all of them are insulated or fur-lined. We may have walked out of there with six pairs of boots, and the same number of hats. I also found a lovely dress.

When we got home everyone was still alive and happy, and Finn had been having so much fun that he didn't even take a nap. So now both boys are sleeping and it isn't even 9pm. Yay!