Don't Hold Your Breath

Hey family and friends,

You might ask, "Where has Ashley been lately?  Why isn't she updating that blog of hers?"  I think I remember warning you all to not hold your breath for this blog, the third one I have started! haha.  Matt has been gone for three weeks and he returns tomorrow.  We can't wait to run up to him and give him hugs.  I think we need to throw a family party tomorrow in celebration of daddy returning home and for us.....WE MADE IT!!!!  We didn't have any hospital runs, no one got sick, nor did we kill each other, all a huge feat!  ;)  We have honestly been in survival mode for the past 4 or so months.  Trying to work and re-work on our schedule to find what will work out best for our family.  Last week, I started studying with my tutor three days a week, three hours each time.  I am feeling really good about that.  I really enjoyed that concentrated time on studying the language with her, and I feel that I am already making more progress.  YAY!!!!  One lesson that I have learned while Matt has been gone:  take it one day at a time, one step at a time.  I couldn't really count down the days because honestly there were too many and that was actually more overwhelming than helpful, so I just took it one day at a time and we have made it.  Tomorrow at 3:15 pm he will arrive in our city, Lord willing!  And we can't wait!!!!

Big Sister

In the early morning or during nap time, big sister Harper likes to climb into her brother's crib and play with him.  It actually helps him to stop crying and to calm him down.  They are often in there laughing together.  That is when I know that something is up.  We started finding her in his crib around the time he was 4 months old.  Albeit, this may be a little dangerous, but it sure is cute.  The other day I found her in his crib trying to change his diaper.  This is also not the first time she has tried to change his diaper all by herself.  Haha.  He was completely naked in his crib and she had managed to get the diaper off but did not have time to put another diaper on him before I figured out that she was in his crib.  She is a great big sister and loves her brother very much, but we did tell her to stop climbing in his crib.  Ha.  She often does funny things with her brother when I am washing dishes or cooking.  Here is a picture of another time she decided to "paint their faces."

I could not enforce discipline after this matter because I busted out into laughter after I saw both of their faces and especially Elias's.  He looks somewhat like a cat.  The glitter pen just makes it.  Ha.

Wordless Wednesday

Our New Nest

One of my favorite things about our new city is that on a clear day you can see snow capped mountain peaks from all over the city.  When I am riding on public transportation I love looking out the window and seeing the mountains.  I have yet to capture this stunning view on camera.  It just isn't as beautiful as what I see in person.

Some of my favorite things about our New Nest & City:

The Park:  We have a HUGE park in the center of the city.  It has a yellow brick road and is one of the largest parks in Europe.  I can't wait for warmer weather and sunny days to explore the park more.

We have a mall.  It is a small mall without a food court, but granted it is a mall that resembles a mall in America with some relatively good stores.  I am thankful.  :)

We have a Subway, as in the chain restaurant.

It is twice the size of our old city.

By Russian standards, our apartment is one of the nicest that I have ever seen.

We have a big market near our apartment.

There is a very small park near our apartment that has a playground in the grass.  We went there one day and found cows grazing around the playground equipment, so my children couldn't play that day.  Haha.

There are some good restaurants here.  Just yesterday I went to a new French bakery in town.  It was awesome!


Some negatives or hardships:

We still do not have DSL Internet.  I think I wrote that it can take months here.  It has already been 4 months for us.  There is a family here that it took a whole year for them to get their Internet hooked up. Craziness.

My children don't get to play outside or even get outside very often.  There is broken glass all over our so-called playground right outside our apartment door.  The playground equipment consist of a broken half-slide.  Haha.

Our location is hard at times.  We don't live in the center so I can't just step outside and go to our big nice park or just walk down sidewalks.  We live about 15 minutes from the center by car and about 30 to 40 by public transportation.   We live near a village outside of town.

Here are some pictures of our apartment at Christmas.  I will take more pictures and post them soon.

The Gigantic Icicles

Those are the icicles hanging off our bedroom window.  Apparently, you are supposed to knock them down in the wee hours of the morning or late at night when people aren't out and about walking the sidewalks.  I think we are probably the only ones on our block who haven't knocked theirs down yet.  We've heard them being knocked down at 5:30 am.  It sounds like bombs hitting the ground.  I'm not a fan.  So we leave ours.  I want to see how long it will get.  But, I do hope it doesn't fall on anyone.  That would not be pretty.  Maybe on a hard day I will get out the hammer and knock them down to relieve some stress.  

A White Christmas

We had the inevitable first snow a few days ago.  I do have to say that it is quite beautiful.  It snowed for three days straight and then took a small break.  I think it is probably snowing again now.  I say, "I think" because you see, I haven't stepped foot outside in days.  That's right folks, I have become a hermit.  Especially now, trying to get two kids suited up in snow gear so tight that they look like the Michelin man and can barely walk or move their arms, is a bit too ambitious for me.  If I don't suit them up properly I will get yelled at, and I can't handle getting yelled at right now.  Ha.  Plus, it's in the 20's out there.  One day it was 14 F already. This South Carolina bred girl can't handle this cold.  I cry.   We recently moved to a new city, and I'm sure by now that everyone in our neighborhood has heard that the Americans live in Apt. 9.  I have already been stared at, scolded, scoffed at and snickered at for having Elias in the Ergo.  For some reason, everyone thinks I am trying to suffocate him in there with the hood up.  AHHHH!!!   So I just can't get up enough oomph to get out the door.  We can't seem to get out the door without both kids breaking down at the same time anyway.  It's just too much work.  But then there's the reason that we're here....to meet people.  It seems that I need to get outside to meet people, right?!  I won't be a hermit forever, I promise.  It is just really hard right now.  There are two benefits that I see to the snow....

1.  It hides all the dirt, trash, and glass.  It really makes everything seem so much more beautiful here.
2.  It is really dark and gray here.  You know, the kind of weather that can make you have SAD.  But, light reflects off the snow and it makes it seem brighter outside. :)

I do actually get out a little more than I portrayed.  I do get to go to class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for two hours plus travel time, but I can only go straight there and come straight back because I still have an infant who needs to eat! :)

I think it is safe to say that it looks like we'll have a White Christmas.  

Goals

When making goals, I normally want a complete overhaul but that's not very realistic or sustainable for me.  I operate in extremes.  I have learned though that I need to take change in strides.  Here are a few general goals that I have listed out for myself:

• Drink more water (at least 8 glasses a day).
• Read the Word each morning. 
• Exercise 20 minutes at least 5 times a week (I am shooting for everyday, but I know that I will inevitably miss some days).  Remember, set realistic goals that are attainable and sustainable.  
• Spend quality time with my kiddos everyday.  Do something fun with them for at least 15 min.
• Plan out our meals each week including breakfast and lunch.
• Get Harper and myself outside at least every other day.
• Bedtime routine includes clean up time.  Pick up toys, put away clothes, etc.
• No computer time while kids are awake.  This is a biggie!
• Study and use the language everyday.
• To update this blog at least once a week, hopefully more!  (Let me know if you are reading/lurking on here.  It will give me more motivation. :-)

These are the beginning of my goals.  I have more involved goals but this is a good place for me to start, especially with a two month old to care after and feed every 3 hours. :-)  I already tried the more extreme version; day one was an ultimate failure. Ha.  My attitude was horrendous if the schedule was not followed or if my children did not feel like cooperating with what HH had planned next.  Imagine that!  I am learning folks!  

What are some of your goals?  Do you normally need a gradual process or do you just go for a complete overhaul?