Little Bits of Info

Today (Saturday), we went to a mall near our house. It has no department stores, just little shops- mainly electronic stuff in this one, and a food court on the fourth floor. We walked around and looked at all the restaurant (about 7). Dougle got some Sharuma (chicken grilled and wrapped in pita bread with veggies and sauce- very tasty), while I chose good 'ole McDonalds. Part of me is embarrassed to say that (b/c it is so unhealthy!), but part of me is unashamed. There is something about eating McDonalds burgers and fries that is comforting when you are in a foreign place.I enjoyed every bite. Canaan has decided he likes fries too. So the 3 of us shared our fries, while Canaan also partook of some other yummy food I brought him (like yogurt).

It was colder today and yesterday than it has been. The temperatures are getting more 'normal' for here in Moscow at this time of year. We got up to 40 degrees and everyone said it felt like March or April. Now it is back down to about 12 degrees with a wind chill -3 degrees. Needless to say, our noses and cheeks were a bit cold. But we enjoyed walking around our neighborhood. We found a place where we think we can develop photos and the post office (where we will pick up any packages). So, that is good.

Also, I wanted to tell you just a tad more about Canaan. I don't know if you caught it in a previous blog, but Canaan has grown 6 new teeth in the past 2 weeks!He's had diaper galore and has been chewing on everything, including a book in the bookstore. I was trying to choose a new book to buy him and gave him a book to look out while I browsed. I should have known better, but the next time I looked down, he had chewed part of a page away! So, we bought that book! Oops! He's been such a trooper, though, through all the pain that comes with it! He loves eating crackers and chewing on his fingers to relieve the pain. So, he is up to 16 teeth- 8 on top and 8 on the bottom!
Another thing I forgot to mention is that he has been working on trying to feed himself. Once he gets through half of his food, he starts taking the spoon and feeding himself. I have to help him get the food on his spoon, but he is slowly getting better!
And, he loves going outside and playing in the snow. We bought a little shovel for him to play with (something we've noticed that many kids play with), but he really can't hold onto it. His gloves are a bit big for him, so his thumb doesn't fit into the thumb hole. This means he can't grab the shovel. But, he does go around pretending to shovel things up in the house!
One more thing- Canaan loves teddy bears. I brought two with us (one is actually an Eeyore, but he thinks it is a bear). He loves to say "BoooR!" He runs over, picks them up, hugs them, and gives them a big kiss on the nose. It is super sweet! My sweet parents hid small little Valentines gifts in our suitcases before we left. They got Canaan a small little bear; needless to say, he loves it!
I was going to post 10 things I love about Moscow on this blog, but Dougle said if it was all about Moscow, I needed to put it on our Moscow Missions blog. So, I did. Hope you all are doing wonderful!