We made it!

For those of you who have never taken an international flight and especially have never taken one with children, it can be pretty brutal.  Our adventure began at 4 AM on Tuesday when my wonderful parents came to pick us up, we picked up the kids out of their beds, and drove to the Mobile airport.  We checked in just in time for our flight to depart to Atlanta and then got on another plane to JFK.  At JFK we had to claim all our 9 suitcases, walk about a mile with our bags to the "air train" and then recheck them to Khabarovsk.  If JFK airport has a Facebook account, I would "dislike" them.  We heard the final boarding call when we all ran to the gate which of course was at the very end of the concourse.  Fortunately, we were headed to Moscow so that meant that all the Russians were also boarding at the final boarding call.     When we arrived in Moscow 8 hours later, we were pleasantly surprised as we were in a different airport than usual (they have 3), and going through customs felt like a Western European country compared to entering Russia in Khabarovsk.  We were able to go to a hotel and take a 4 hour "nap".  After our rest, we picked up sleeping kids and rode back to the airport for our second 8 hour flight to Khabarovsk.  We arrived local time around 7 AM.  The kids were really excited to my pleasant surprise when we landed.  They were doing a little jig in the airport parking lot saying "Yea - we are in our Russian home!"  We have survived our first 2 days almost and already bought Peanut a bike, rode bikes by the river, been to the Central Market, been invited by friends to go to Orthodox Easter services and lunch, and eaten lunch at one of Scott's Maltese friend's Italian pizzeria.  We were even able to sleep a full night last night including the kids.  I am sure this has to do with people's prayers for our trip and adjustment for which we are thankful!  Coming back was a whole lot different than the first time we came over last May.  Not only are the kids a year older and traveled better, but we were able to come "home" to a familiar apartment, place, and stuff.    

Finding the "Good" in Good Friday

It is Good Friday, and as I look around my house, the past 24 hours and my own heart, I have to look a little deeper to see the good.  My mother-in-law's car broke down with us in it while on the way to Maundy Thursday services at church.  The good is that we were in a parking lot when it happened instead of on the road.  My kitchen island was found infested with roaches.  My 3 year old asked me today, "Why did God make roaches?"  I replied, "For His own glory."  (But I'm not sure how much I really believed it.)  Tonight I know.  The messy reveals the beautiful.  The cross reveals the Savior.   Not only is this Easter weekend, but it is also the last weekend we are in town before we fly around the world for another family adventure in Russia.  We leave in less than 5 days. 

Our mess trying to pack! 

So, as I look around the state of our house and hearts, it would be easy to despair.  BUT for God.  Life is messy and our life is no different.  My husband has been sick with bronchitis for at least 5 weeks, and today spent 2 hours in a doctor's office waiting to see the doctor for the 2nd time to get a prescription.  He goes to sleep every night coughing.  Of course he was hoping to be well before we returned to Russia.  We had to clean out our entire kitchen after fumigating the intruders.  We need to buy a new transmission or another car.  There is a lot of packing to do!  And then there is the ugliness in my heart and that of my children's hearts and in our relationships with each other which can rear its' head especially in times of pressure.   Yet in the ugliness there lies the cross and the redemption of all things.  Did you know that roaches can reduce pests to cotton crops?  And that they are used in medical research?  Maybe there is a purpose for them!  Sickness hurts but shows us our frailty before an all-powerful God.  Car troubles are inconvenient but show us that our "plans" are subservient to God's.  Relationships can be painful but through them we are sanctified.  Jesus' death was not the end.  He rose, is ALIVE; our trials are temporary.  So we rejoice in our troubles, no matter how small or big.  He is GOOD!

Our "empty tomb" project and its' dead grass - symbolic?

Book Lists for Boys (& Girls)

We have discovered some real gems of books lately for my oldest son.  The child who I thought would never learn to read and hated reading for a time is now an avid book-lover.  I honestly never thought it would happen but over the past year his love for books has flourished to my delight.  In order to give others  some fresh ideas and for me to remember when my younger boys get older, here are some of the series & books he has devoured lately:
1.  The Indian & the Cupboard series by Lynne Reid Banks (also available at the library) - just plain fun fiction with great imagination.  My son loved these!
2.  Scout series by Piet Prins - written by Dutch Christian author, these books contain adventures during and after WWII
3.  Kingdom series by Chuck Black - Biblical allegories set in medieval times
4.  Freddy the Pig series (also available at the library)  -a classic set with many more titles from the 1950s or 60s.  A sweet set of books about the humorous adventures of a talking pig
5.  Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng - very interesting book about the Navajo code that was developed during WWII and played an influential part in the winning of several battles of the war
6.  The Story of Winston Churchill by Alida Malkus, now out of print but a great youth biography of one of the great heroes of the 20th century

And for the young girl readers out there, my 7 year old just discovered a Christian fiction series entitled Circle C Beginnings about a girl named Andrea Carter living in the late 1800s and her love of horses.  The link is to the first in the series but there are 6,  I believe in the series.  There is also an older version for slightly more mature reader entitled Circle C Adventures.  The surprised for me was when I found their website which has free downloadable activities to go along with the books that can be incorporated into your homeschool. Check it out!


Happy Reading!

Switching Gears

If you have read my blog at all, you will know that I have been silent the past few months.  This is because since mid-December, we have been "home" in Alabama.  We have thoroughly enjoyed life here - our big backyard, the very mild weather, grandparents!, friends, our church, homeschool events, Art and P.E. classes... It would be almost ideal except that my dear husband and beloved Daddy has not been here to enjoy it with us.  Instead he has been in sub-Arctic temperatures working hard and sacrificing his own desires to serve his family and pay the bills in Khabarovsk.   Last year at this time, I was just itching to get out of here and find out what the Lord had in store for us in this far-away remote part of Russia.  We had suffered numerous sicknesses and accidents while hubby was away, and life by ourselves didn't seem all that great.  This year, I must admit that I have been content here in our comfortable little world and really didn't want to leave it.  However, since we have purchased tickets to go back, God is preparing me slowly for our transition to our Russian "Narnia".   No, there aren't any fawns, white witches, or talking beavers, but it does sometime seem especially in winter that it is "always winter and never Christmas".  And as we step through the wardrobe and onto the airplane, the scenery does dramatically change.  Our travel date is April 11.   As we make this transition my blogging should also pick up speed.  I look forward to sharing our adventures those who find time to read my stories.

Lessons in the Unexpected

Here is a recap of our first 3 weeks of 2012:

1 totaled car in an interstate pile-up
1 strep throat
1 root canal
1 sprained, possibly broken foot
1 visit from the tooth fairy

All of the above was unplanned.  But isn't that really just life?  I mean, life is what happens when you least expect it.  Driving down the interstate after a happy family vacation and bam!, a white-out occurs and your car is pushed into the guard rail of a major interstate.  Or after you put the kids to bed, one wakes up screaming that his head is pounding, and you find out he has a high fever and rush him to to the doctor the next day to find out it is strep throat.  Or a simple request from a child to enjoy the pretty day and ride bicycles through the neighborhood leads to an Urgent care visit.  None of these things are on our calendar.  We don't wake up in the morning and think, "Oh, I think I am going to have an accident today." But they happen none the less.  How we respond to these "interruptions" is really an opportunity to choose faith or disbelief.  Do I really believe that God is indeed IN all of these situations?  I had my own plans for each of these days and they didn't involve doctors and insurance agents.  He is so good to remind me in all of these instances that He is in control of ALL things, and that He loves me enough to keep working on me  to make me more and more like Jesus.  And I learn S-L-O-W-L-Y.   I need a lot of sanctification.  And so I press on, with hope and faith that no matter what tomorrow brings, He is in those details.  And He will see me through.

Winter Sports

One of the fun things about living in a colder climate is all the winter sports that accompany the weather.  In Alabama, kids play basketball in the winter.  Here you will see kids of all ages walking around with hockey sticks, snowboards, and sleds ready to enjoy all that winter has to offer.  Originally I had thought that the cold temps would make it hard for our family to adjust.  On the contrary, the cold weather has actually been a plus for us in light of the other difficulties Russian city life brings to an American family.  Admittedly, they can’t spend as much time outdoors as they are used to in Alabama, and it takes us a good 30 minutes to get ready to go outside.  However, once they are outside, they really enjoy it!  Here are a few pics of our latest adventures in the snow & cold.

Ice-slide in our courtyard

This actually a handicap ramp, but turned into a winter slide.

Boys making a makeshift hockey practice on an ice block

Sledding on inner tubes

C6 having fun in our courtyard

C5 and his friend practicing hockey

We have had a sort of debate going on concerning what constitutes the beginning of winter here.  Some people say Nov. 1 here.  Others say Dec. 1.  My husband says Dec. 21 at the winter solstice, and others say "When you can go outside without a hat on and not freeze, it is not yet winter.".   Well, whatever the correct answer is, it is cold here. The temperatures are consistently 10-15 below in Celcius, which translates to roughly 10 and below in Farenheit.  When dressed properly, however, it is a kind of winter wonderland.  Our Alabama barefoot loving children have remarkably adjusted to the cold, and so far seem to endure it longer than their parents or most Russian kids for that matter. 

Snow and ice cover the roads and walkways.  Men are always out shoveling the sidewalks to prevent the snow from packing down and turning into an ice-skating rink.   Instead of strollers, you will see mothers pushing or pulling their babies on sleds.  Children have these plastic shovel-looking things that they carry around and can sit down on whenever there is a hill for sledding.  

This past week has been busy.  The kids & I have been sledding on inner tubes and sleds.  We visited an Orthodox church and were allowed to view a "miraculous icon" of Mary and Jesus.  Interestingly enough they say it continuously flows myrhh.  My Russian orthodox friend, who invited us, picked up 2 of the children and told them to kiss the icon.  This is what the Russian Orthodox do to icons. Complying and not realizing what they were doing, they did.  I have to say that is something I have never done.  Also, C9 began playing soccer and went to a Russian school for the first time.  Here are a few pics:

Going to School with Daddy

A view from inside; in back an Orthodox monastery

"Otkritie" Elementary school