More videos

Getting dressed to go outside:


Sledding is fun for mommy:

Winter in DC

As many of you have heard, we had a big snowstorm last week. It was so big that Cliff's work was cancelled on Monday as the metro still can't run. So, we're enjoying a day outside in the snow. A big disappointment of the day was when I broke our camcorder by dropping it on the floor. So these will probably be some of the last videos you'll see for a while. It kind of works but it does not focus. Such a bummer!
A new album is up with lots of snow pictures.
Today was supposed to be the first day of Aaron's day care but we can't even get to the grocery, let alone to another state:)
Today we went sledding down the hills near Potomac river. Half way there we realized that the path is not getting any clearer and it was pretty hard to dive through the snow with a toddler who would not want to ride on the sled. But there was no turning back! We made it just fine and had a good time on our snow hike. As much as Aaron loves snow he's not the biggest fan of sledding.

Tea time and a good conversation with mommy:


Sledding down the hill:


Reading a book together:


(No, we do not have a hoarding problem-we're just moving:)The stuff on the background is what Cliff brought back from Indianapolis last week)

Eggs

Eggs are one of Aaron's favorite foods. He can eat them in any shape and, as it turned out, in any color. The secret of a green omlet is in spinach (1 handful of baby spinach, 2 eggs, 1-2 tbsp of milk, and a pinch of salt). I use my handheld blender to blend everything to the point where Aaron can't taste spinach fiber and then fry it as I would a regular omlet. And then, of course, a drizzle of ketchup:)

I doubt that sneaking veggies into food will teach children to like them, but at least it does not give them the opportunity to spit them out and gives me peace of mind for the day:)

On a muddy day

Today was a muddy day and we decided to put on our gear and hit the playground. Aaron's friends were not there, nevertheless, he was not upset for a long time as he found plenty of mud and puddles to play with. Usually I do not allow him to play in dirt, but it was a special occasion-he was wearing his firefighter's coat and rainboots. Every now and then Aaron would run to a big puddle of mud, splash it with his foot and give me a look like "I just did it! What are YOU going to do about it?" It's the same look he gives me or Cliff when he drops his food on the floor during mealtime looking straight into our eyes waiting for our reaction.

For the love of cars

Aaron loves cars in any shape and color. He knows what each truck is and who drives the trucks. His favorite ones are a garbage truck, a fire truck, a dump truck, a bulldozer, a pick up truck and a mail truck which he does not have yet but he looks out for it when we're on a walk. He also gets very excited to see our mailman. He runs to him asking for a hug "Ug! Ug!" And then he wants to help the mailman to sort the mail. The mailman (I should know his name by now!) said Aaron made his day last time Aaron gave him a hug.

He loves rolling his cars on the floor and throwing them behind the bed and the sofa and then trying to get them which he, of course, can't do. He keeps trying to open the doors on the cars but unfortunately match box cars' doors do not open. Today we saw a Coca-Cola truck outside our building, so that's the word of the day "Coca-Coja tuck"

He had his 18 months wellness check up today and he's doing great. He weighs 28.4 lb which is only slightly more than his previous check up, but considering the fact that he was very sick and lost some weight, we're pretty happy with where he is right now. That's around 80 percentile. He's 34.5 inches tall and every time a nurse gets his height she asks if his dad is very tall:)

Aaron has been doing great at the doctor's office. He does not cry and does not cling as he used to do. In fact, he gets excited when I tell him that we're going to see Dr. Tae today. I think his Russian book about Doctor Aibolit helped him turn around the corner with his medical personel phobia. Or itt could be due to the fact that he has not received any shots for 3 months and maybe he started forgetting it. But today I told him that a nurse was going to give him a shot (chickenpox) and that it was going to hurt a little bit but then he would not get sick later. So, he was a brave little cookie when the nurse poked him. He cried for less than a minute after she injected the vaccine, but afterwards he kept saying "Ajan mejij" (Aaron is brave)

He's been eating better lately. He loves eggs in any form. And he loves ketchup:) He probably can eat anything or at least try it if you put ketchup on it. So, a carrot omlet was a big hit today-he ate an adult portion.

He continues bringing a lot of joy to Cliff and me!

Happy New Year and Merry (Ukrainian) Christmas!

Last week we celebrated Christmas in Indianapolis. We greatly enjoyed the time with the family and delicious meals provided at the Cislaks Inn and of course, Christmas dinner at GG's and GGPa's, and Meridian Hills CC with Grandmother Boyd. We're so blessed to have you, guys.
Aaron was so excited to reunite with his little cousin Sarah that he still mentions her as we came back home. When I ask him, "What did Sarah do?" he puts his little hands on his face and pretends to cry:) When I ask him if he misses his Grammommy and Granddaddy, he blows kisses. And every time I mentioned Grandmommy and Grandaddy he always adds "Chloe!"
I posted 200 some pictures in his 1+5 photoalbum. I just did not have time to go through each of them, edit and select. I am sure you'll enjoy them anyways:) They're all good.
Aaron's language development amazes us every day. He already talks real 2-3 word sentences, adding more and more new words to his vocabulary every day. He's also often using proper endings of Russian cases and genders which I am very pleased about. He's almost completely potty trained. I put a diaper on him only for his sleep time and when we're out for a long time. But even then it's often times dry as I take it off.
Yesterday I took him to Barnes and Noble bookstore in hopes to find a book with creative recipes for picky toddlers which I did not find. But anyways, there was a big table with railroads and Thomas and Friends trains. Aaron loves Thomas now:) He played at the table alongside other toddlers and did not want to leave. This is what I observed while he played, a story I will love telling as his mother:
Aaron had 2 trains, one in each hand. An older boy jumped up to Aaron, grabbed one train out of his hand and yelled "Mine!". Aaron looked at the boy, then at his other train, and handed the boy the other train with his "Nah!" which tranlsates from Russian as "Here, take this one too". It touched me deeply and I thanked God for instilling this generousity in Aaron. Not that we have done anything different than other parents trying to teach him to share. It appears to have come to him naturally.
On January 7th Ukraine will be celebrating Christmas (Orthodox Calendar). Merry Christmas to all Ukrainians!:) Thinking about doing something special on this day.
We'd also like to thank everyone for their generousity and presents.
Happy New Year!

God is with us!

...the Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins"-Matthew 1:20-21

This Christmas we are thankful for this beautiful promise that God gave his people a long time ago. Without Christ there would be no Christmas, no hope and no help. We wish that everyone who reads this blog comes to know Christ as the only way to God, the only name to be saved by from the sins that this world is sinking in, the only name to give credit to for all we are and all we have.

December 20, 2003 was a sunny crisp winter day in Indianapolis, IN with some snow still laying on the ground, just like it is today in Alexandria VA (except that we have way more snow on the ground now). This day, by the grace of God, I was given in marriage to my wonderful husband Cliff.

These were wonderful six years and I thank the Lord for all He had put us through together and for blessing our marriage. I am thankful to Christ for giving us the gift of parenthood and for blessing us and Aaron with life and health. I am thankful for our wonderful parents who have been beside us all along the way and have been such good role models for our marriage and our parenthood. And of course we are very thankful for the love and care of our siblings, speaking of which, Seriy and Jules will be celebrating their 6th anniversary in just a week! Congratulations!

The new year promises to bring about some changes for our family. Aaron will be starting a Russian pre-school part-time at the beginning of February, and I will be joining the workforce as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse in a hospital in DC. Since the pre-school is in Maryland, we're most likely to be moving at the beginning of the year. My mom will be coming over to help us during this transition period. I am so thankful for my parents who have helped us so much by always being there for us when we needed them. I know it takes a lot of sacrifice on my dad's part to be away from my mom when she comes to the States, but I am sure Cliff would do the same for Aaron if he needed our help. Would you consider praying for us as we transition through these changes, please? We're excited about it but at the same time we have our concerns.

Love,

Cliff, Anna and Aaron