A Day in the Life of Mary Elizabeth

THIS MORNING...

Getting ready for Church and ME decided to start shaving---her face!!!

Modeling her band aide.

THIS AFTERNOON...

She became an aspiring tattoo artist.

What a great day...at least ME thinks so!!!

THIS EVENING...

Mommy spent removing ink from the furniture!!!

More Fun Camp Pictures...

We spent the entire day at camp. The kid's had a great time playing and the weather was great!

Granny sent Gideon a fabulous Spiderman kite, but there was not enough wind for kite flying.

ME was all smiles today, until she fell off the bleachers and rolled down the hill. Later, she was walking on the sidewalk, tripped, fell and knocked over on top of her a fortunately very clean and not in use grill!!!

ME's new friends.

Family Pic at Camp

A young aspiring photographer took our picture at camp today!

Kisses From Mary Elizabeth

BUT NOT FROM GIDEON!!!

Our Musketeer

A Rainy Day at Camp...

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To!!!

We have had a rough morning! ME woke-up at midnight and decided she wanted to sleep in our bed, which means no one slept very well, including ME! Why didn't I just return the darling princess to her own bed...who knows!!! By 6:30, we were all awake and before 9 had eaten breakfast, bathed (including boiling all the required water) and were ready for Church by 9! The kids and I went to the playroom, but after 45 minutes they were totally bored and so was I, because there was no one else there!!! So, being the creative, thoughtful mommy that I am (translation: selfish and hungry), we snuck out of Church and went across the street to Baskin Robins for overly priced, but totally delicious ice cream!!! On the way back to Church, we stopped by a playground for a few minutes (translation: kill a little more time of the 2 1/2 hour service!) We snuck back in just in time for the closing prayer. The kids were excited to see daddy at the pulpit. They were standing on the chairs in the playroom to see him through the windows. They were just about to say "Amen!" and ME slipped and fell off the chair. She screamed so loud, Keith heard her at the pulpit! So, back out the door we went to find a distraction outside. ME started playing with the front doors and I was standing there not really thinking about what she was doing, but just praising God she was no longer screaming and that Church was almost over so we could finally go home for a much needed nap! The door slammed catching ME's finger and the same song, second verse began..."Its My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To!!!" Once again, so loud it was heard ringing throughout the Church, which fortunately brought Keith to the rescue and home we went!!!

Her finger is really swelling up...which may mean a trip to the doctor. Please pray for ME's finger and that we would not need to take her to the doctor.

FINGER CRISIS UPDATE @ 6PM: After ME's nap, her entire finger nail was black and still very swollen. Dr. Keith, after much internet research, heated a paper clip and punctured her nail. It blead for a long time and immediately looked better! Way to go Keith!!!

Wading or Swimming???

I think swimming!!!

Camp Adventures Continue...

Today, we discovered some old exercise equipment that the kids had a blast playing on!

Gideon was the first up!

ME had to join the fun!

And daddy too!!!

Gideon's friends: Vanya & Elisha

A Note to the Skinners...

Hey Skinners!!! We are missing you guys and so appreciate the brief blog update. Sorry it is so hot there, but Wal-Mart is air conditioned!!! Sarah: Yeah!!! Go Millikin!!! It looks awesome (yes, I did google it and checked out the campus!!!) Anna: I had a great aerobics class today. You would have loved it. Our instructor was the guy who leads some of the dance classes! Of course I wasn't expecting a class in RnB...since I still have no idea what that even is and am sure my coordination is lacking!! He was actually filling in for another instructor, and no we did not really do RnB, but I thought of you the entire time!!!

Happy Birthday Jill!!!

Happy Birthday Jill!!!

We hope you had a great day and ate lots of cake!!!

We will celebrate soon!!!
We miss and love you!!!

I am a Cat!!!

ME now thinks she is a cat and is bathing herself! I guess this is a good thing since we still don't have any hot water!!! HAHA!!!

A New Level...

20 more minutes later...in real time HAHA!!! (Keith and I are watching the series 24!)

Gideon & ME thought it would be fun to bring potty training to a new level...up on the foot stool!

ME is getting bored!

Gideon is getting frustrated! "I am never going to get a treat! I am starving!!!"

ME...still bored!

And whoever said the 3rd time is a charm...obviously was not referring to potty training!!!

20 Minutes Later...

Back on the potty with some encouragement! Gideon decides he would "help" so they would both get a treat! "Come on ME pee; you can do it!!!" "Don't you want a treat!?!" "Lift up your shirt so you don't pee on it!" "Come on! I will show you how to do it!"

Potty All the Time

We have been half-heartedly trying to potty train ME now for months...many months! I am finally ready to get serious, because no kids in her class wear diapers!!! It is sort of a Russian thing...they start potty training very early (before the first Birthday) and don't mind washing loads of clothes or spots on their furniture and carpets.

Yes, we have placed the potty chair in the living room...it is only temporary, hopefully!!! We went to the store last night to look for a timer to remind me that it is time to "encourage" ME to go potty. Well, we were unsuccessful. We searched our new, big mall with no avail and neither of us new the Russian word for "timer" to ask for assistance, so we just went home. ME dislikes going to potty in the bathroom and she requires parental attention, while attending to her business. So, while watching TV, I brought the potty chair into the living room as a visual reminder to us all.

There are several hilarious blogs on the subject, Lots of Scotts and Big Mama, which have provided me with much encouragement and laughter!

Boredom...

I found Gideon on our balcony, sitting on his sled, wearing his winter coat and winter boots in July and no, there is no snow outside or on our balcony!!!

A New Discovery...

Today, we went to "see" the river that runs through the camp. Some of the kids ran ahead and were in the river preparing to go swimming! Fortunately, we got to them, before it turned in to a preschool skinny dipping session! ME couldn't wait to get in the water and before we knew it her rain boots were filled with water, then her pants got wet!

And then she decided to just take the plunge!!! We are thankful for the emergency clothes we packed!!!

Camp Adventures...

We have really enjoyed taking the kids to the Church Camp just outside of Yaroslavl. It is so gorgeous and peaceful---except when ME decides to go swimming!

Prayer Time at Our House...

One positive habit our kids have developed is thanking God for our food, but why must they fight about if we will all hold hands or place our hands together?!?

More Funny Faces...

Thanks Granny for these great hats!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Ready for our surprise!!!

Gideon hides his eyes...

So, of course ME must also hide her eyes!

Happy 4th of July!!!
We love you!!!
ME & Gideon

Fun with Friends...

We meet our friends, Tonya, Vonya and Daniel, at the park and then went to their house for tea. The kids had a great time playing together and Tonya and I had a great time catching-up.

Keith, however, spent 5 hours driving all over town helping purchase food for our Church Camp that is now in session. They waited at one store 2 hours for the bread the Church had ordered, then went to the other side of town to buy cabbage and then across the Volga River to buy chicken!!! The Camp is on a tight budget, but the next time Keith needs to assist in the grocery shopping, he will go to one supermarket and use the gas money he saves to pay the difference in the price of produce!!!

"War & Peace"

Another day on the prairie in the midst of moments of the battles of wills followed with a few fleeting moments of peace and quite! The kids have enjoyed their first official day of summer vacation. Gideon wakes-up every morning and asks if today is a school day. He looks so relieved when I tell him that it is not!

Our Super Model! Gideon loves dressing up and today he even pretended to be a barber and gave us all new hair styles!

ME showing off her muscles and dirty t-shirt!!!

Keith and Gideon on a Bike Ride...

Jill took this totally great picture of Keith and Gideon on a father-son adventure during our "Olympic Games Retreat."

Back to the Future Meets Little House on the Prairie

Russia in many ways is a very advanced country. We have high speed internet, modern appliances (I have even seen a refrigerator with a television in the door) and many very nice malls, restaurants and places for the kids to play. However, for two weeks (or more, depending on the city in which you live) you are without hot water! I remember when I first discovered this fact, when we lived in Ivanovo. It was the beginning of April, one month after our arrival to Russia. For several days, we had been without hot water. I thought, of course, that this was a "temporary" and isolated incident. When our language tutor arrived for my next lesson, the first question I asked was "When will we have hot water again?" He said, "Probably in October." I replied, "No seriously!?!" thinking, doesn't he know that this is a very serious matter! He said, "I am not joking. If we are lucky, the city will turn the hot water back on in October." I was so shocked and think I may have even cried! I wondered what I had done moving to Russia! No one told me I would have to boil water just to take a bath and for more than 6 months!!! Well, it has taken a while (like 5 years HAHA!!!) to get used to the fact that occasionally we are without hot water for periods of time and I feel like we have gone back in time to the days of "Little House on the Prairie!" Our hot water returns on July 12th---11 more days!!!

Camp...

Today was the first day of Church camp. We went out this afternoon and took pictures of all of the campers. Gideon and ME had a blast running around, climbing and playing in the water. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time getting to know some of the teens. Pray that the camp would be a huge success in sharing God's love and forgiveness.