Gymnastics

I want to post a few more pics of our Prague vacation and write some more, but that will have to be a bit later. I have just a few minutes right now, and I can quickly post these. (I also put a bunch on my facebook account, so if you are interested in viewing them all, you can look them up there.)

Anyway, I've been searching for ways to get Canaan more involved with other kids and speaking Russian more. Recently, my friend Katya enrolled her son Senya (who is in the colorful striped shirt in the first picture) in gymnastic classes and suggested Canaan might enjoy it too. I really liked the idea, but Canaan gets very shy around new people, especially when they are speaking Russian. He can understand some Russian, and speak a little, but not much. So, I was very hesitant, wondering how Canaan would do.

He loved it! In his group were about 10 little boys and girls, all around 3 years old. They did various exercises with tumbling, and worked a little on the rings, bars, parallel bars, and trampoline. Canaan didn't understand everything, but was really good at watching the other kids and copying what they did. He was so excited to be there and do "tricks" that he cried when it was time to leave, saying he was only there a short time! I was so elated that he enjoyed the class! He'll be going 2 times a week, which I am sure he thinks is not enough! I'm so thankful for Katya suggesting it to me and for Canaan loving it!

Prague Vacation

Yes! We are on vacation in Prague!

It is wonderful! We are on our second of 7 days in Prague- and LOVING it! Prague is a beautiful city, and God knew we needed a vacation! Here are a few pictures from our time here.

Monday morning we took the train to Kiev. We over-nighted in Kiev, since we needed to stop by the embassy and get pages added to our passport. It is currently free to do this, but we heard they will be charging soon, and we were both almost out of pages! Tuesday morning Dougle and Canaan went to the embassy while Max and I went to the clinic. A day before we left, Max had a slight fever for a few hours and then started coughing. Since it was getting worse, and I didn't want a repeat of last month's sickness (bronchitis that I let go b/c I thought it was a virus that would go away on it's own, but instead dragged on for over a week until we finally found out what it was and got anti-biotics), I took the opportunity to visit the EuroLab clinic in Kiev that I heard was really good. And it was great. Very similar to an American clinic. We went in, only to find out Max just had sinus congestion that was draining into his throat and making him cough; but I guess that is better than a real sickness. After our trips out, we headed out to the airport to catch our flight to Prague!

The flight was just under 2 hours. There we met Liv and Dave, who'd arrived a bit over an hour ahead of us, and went to our apartment we'd rented. It is a cute little place, about 15 minutes by tram from the center of town. Since arriving, we've enjoyed a lot of things: time out downtown, roaming the streets, looking at the beautiful architecture, seeing a few sites, doing a bit of souvenir shopping, and eating wonderful food! One pic is from a Mexican restaurant. We've also eaten Chinese, Thai, Starbucks and KFC! In addition to restaurants, I am now munching on a delicious avocado and we had a bedtime snack of strawberries last night. All these are scrumptious treats we can't get in Kharkov (the restaurants- the fruit we just can't get until it comes in season in the summer). And, we have also averted a minor disaster: after loosing Max's blanket he sleeps with, we were able to back-track our steps an hour later and find it propped up on the edge of a trash can! What a blessing to see that! Well, that's all for now, folks, but I'll try to post a few more pics through our trip and write a bit more later! Love you all!

Afternoon in the Park

It is warming up! Yeah! Well, it has been getting in the 50's and maybe up to 60 this past week! And the sun is shining! It is wonderful. About all the snow and ice is gone, except for patches here and there in shady parts. Everyone is out turning over the packed soil in their little dirt patches in front of stores, etc., preparing to plant spring flowers! More and more people are out hanging out, gathered around park benches, strolling through the parks, and general taking more time than normal to get from here to there. And I see more smiles and laughs. Spring is wonderful in so many ways.

Another convenience of spring is not having to dress up so much before going outside. Just a hat and jacket. No special boots, extra socks or tights, gloves, scarves, etc, etc. It is great. And since we aren't wearing such bulky shoes and coats, Canaan has about mastered the art of putting on his own shoes and jacket. That is so nice for me! Max will even bring me his shoes and socks! Of course, he brings them whether it is time to go or not. But I think he finally likes getting outside now! I don't know if it is a change in the weather, or his newfound ability to waddle around. Maybe both. But he loves going "ba-ba" these days.

So, on our free day, our family invited the Hindmans and Nelsons to the park for some fun play. We brought balls and a bat and frisbees and a trike for Max, since he isn't too good on his own walking yet. We all had so much fun. And we just soaked up all the sun we could get. It was wonderful! Here are a few pictures. We even met a few people who stopped in to play a bit with their kids. I LOVE Spring!