I’ve been remiss about posting lately. Busy with life — and the small stuff doesn’t seem so noteworthy. But it may be interesting for them in the future and definitely for me. It’s crazy to look back on what I’ve written and remember things that they never do anymore.
Here’s some of the local flavor from my house:
Nadya calls Rice Crispy treats “Raspberry Christmas Treats.” Sometimes I don’t understand what she is saying in English and I need to her to tell me in Russian. She gets mad and yells it by the time I’ve asked her 4x. The doctor, who will take out her tonsils/adenoids on March 9, says that her nasal speaking should improve.
She is a big fan of princesses, ballerinas and, gulp, Barbie. She doesn’t have a Barbie doll but does have a Barbie music machine (think a tiny, pink, sparkly rappers turntable) and a Barbie guitar. She loves school, where her best friend is Yasmina. She’s fearless in the water, though she can’t swim yet. She’s an easy-going sweet kid…most of the time.
Nikolai is 100% goofball lately. Laughs hysterically at toilet-related humor or anything naughty. Cannot sit still for a second at home, but is doing great at school — implying that he does in fact sit. He is reading! I find him reading alone sometimes which seems like a good sign. He likes math and is spontaneously adding and subtracting throughout the day.
He’s is not showing an real aptitude for soccer but thinks that he is pretty good. Sometimes he fights me on going but I remind him he’ll need to play soccer in Nicaragua and other places that we will live. He’s on board with that. He fancies himself an adventurer so learning soccer is a small price to pay.
I love watching their personalities develop — when I actually take the time to watch. They are such good kids but they annoy me quite a bit (“For the 10th time put your underpants on!” “Didn’t I tell you that would spill!” “Grab your bag, we’re gonna be late now”…) so sometimes I don’t appreciate how great they are.
New Year’s Resolution: Appreciate what I’ve got. Especially these two characters.
