Warmer and Sunny!

It got above -10c today and the sun was shining brightly so it felt very warm to us! The sunshine helps so much when moods start getting down.

We all woke up around 8am this morning and watched some cartoons on TV. I just am floored how it can be a kids show on and there will be a kid's commercial and then the next one will be for alka-seltzer or something… There weren't as many cartoons today tho – kids back in school I suppose. I did have Genya practice tracing his name. At first he was going to write it but he really messed up the "G" and got frustrated so then he wanted to just trace which was fine with me – you can see how he did in the pictures! He also did some cutting of paper with scissors (Judy, last night he almost cut his hair with some after seeing it on the Elmo DVD we were watching! The scissors are all up high now!) He also did some coloring on his paper airplanes so that was nice. It's funny tho – when we'd visit him at the Orphanage he asked for coloring books so we bought him a few – thought he must really love to color… bought all sorts of coloring books, paints, etc… and now he doesn't want to do them! Well, we're stocked for now anyways!

We were ready to go outside for a quick play at the park when the phone rang. Genya ran to get it as usual… and kept talking and talking Russian to someone. Elena was calling from WI! What a nice surprise! We're going to email here some of the phrases we're finding we don't know but are using over and over. She talked to Genya for a LONG time – as she said "he likes to talk"! When I got the phone back it was great hearing what he has been thinking – everything is going good, he loves his new tennis shoes but his slippers are too small (LOL – not really but they're tight on his fat feet), he loves my cooking (!?!) and was trying to tell her about a very yummy dish I had made but couldn't quite tell it all, he likes all his new toys but he misses a toy gun he had "at the place he used to live". I asked her about the toy guns at the orphanages…she said that is just Russian – the boys play with guns (military) and the girls with dolls. We don't have guns at home so hopefully he will forget about that toy! He also wasn't happy we didn't by him a car at the toy store – it was a big remote control car that was very expensive AND we have those at home already… She told him it would be too heavy for the suitcase! It was so nice to hear what he's thinking of his time with us! She's going to call again in a few days to talk with him again – I'm sure he was happy to talk to someone who understood him also!

After the call we decided to go to a café for lunch. The "blue door" café is close so we went there. Other than Genya turning off the lights in the restaurant (twice!) at the end of the meal all went very well. The same friendly lady was there. She asked Genya if he "spoke English" (in English) but I said "no, ruskie" – so we're confused if she thought he was American and we just had never brought him in before or what? Regardless, he ordered "two" meat turnovers for lunch and "juice" (well, he said soak). Brian was going to have the meat pies also but they have a special at lunch – for 100r you get salad, soup, and entrée with side and a drink. We both took that instead. We chose different salads, soups, sides, and drinks but the same chicken schnitzel for the main course. I had a cabbage soup and crab/veggie salad, rice and tea to drink. Brian had the tomato/veggie soup, a meat salad, mashed potatoes and a compote (like kool-aid). It was very good. All three of us ate for 295r (little over $8.00). Then we went to the park for awhile and Nathan Genya slid… next we walked to the river area and fed the pigeons again. Then Nathan Genya wanted to go "home". We stopped at the store across the street tho and the guys got some ice cream. Their shelves are quite bare right now – no water, no snickers… we're eating their stock out and they're probably afraid to reorder as don't know how long we'll be here! LOL

We rested in the apartment for about an hour – Brian napped and Genya and I watched Spiderman DVD – and then we went to the supermarket. We knew we'd have to carry water and juice and soda among other things so we all went. We were out of a few necessities like milk and eggs also (and tomorrow being pancake day and I'm making the oven pancake again I needed both those!) and we're down to two yogurts, one banana and one hot dog so had to restock on those. Found the last four bananas in the store! Upgraded size on the yogurts for Nathan Genya and found the hot dogs also… The walk home was long tho. Brian carried everything except the 5L water which I carried… Nathan Genya wanted to carry it but we wouldn't let him. But I forgot that Brian always carries Genya across the busy roads so then I would give Brian the water and carry Nathan. Even tho the scale doesn't show it, yikes he weighs a lot with the boots and all! I think he told me I hurt him one time! But we made it home safely and no broken eggs.

Genya and I played in the bedroom for awhile then – he likes this game with Brian when Genya jumps on the bed and then Brian catches him and tosses him on the bed… after I found out the game (from Brian) I played it with Genya for awhile… Then we played a number of rounds of "Uno". I took out the "draw 2 and wild" cards as those are just too hard to explain to a non-english speaker! But we matched colors or numbers. He did very well for the most part and by the end I was very pleased at how he was playing without much of my help. That was fun. I also changed the programming on his toy phone so the numbers it says now are "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0" – hope to break him of the "1,2,3,4,9"! Then Brian took over entertaining and they're playing on the DS with some easy games Brian found that Genya can play. And I'm typing up the day's blog!

Dinner tonight is "Beefy noodles with Sour Cream"… My second time making it here but first for Genya. I made it the Russian variation by adding cucumbers to the mushrooms and onions.. then it's just ground beef and tomato juice and a few other items… I'll add the noodles and sour cream at the end. Almost a stroganoff LOL Brian (and maybe Genya) will be unhappy when we get home and I don't cook with ground beef so much – it's much more rare at our house as I usually cook with chicken but over here I can say and identify ground beef so that's what I'm using more of (here the chicken and fish often look alike!). I have five more packages of frozen beef and one chicken in the freezer – then we'll probably do a few of the "ready to heat" meals at the nearby deli… I am starting to run out of ideas!

Dinner last night was good, did I blog about it? It was called "Auto Parts Chicken" so I had to try it! Chicken breast (I cut up), potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic all in a chicken broth and then you add a flour/water mixture at the end to thicken it. Sort of a soup. It was easy, readily available ingredients and everyone ate it! I do have to let Nathan Genya's food start cooling way before it's time for us to eat… he seems to enjoy it better when it's almost cold so maybe that's more what he's used to? Regardless, he's eating well and for the most part – healthy. I did let him have cookies today and he had about ½ the ice cream (the other part he ate too slowly so it fell in the bowl and he let me eat that) and we bought a candy bar for him at the store but he'll get that tomorrow!

Funny note from dinner – We set up the video camera to tape him as he usually is quite animated with storytelling at dinner… and tonight was no exception. At one point I was going to say to him that one day he'll look at these and say "what was I talking about?" but I started and said "Genya, you know what?" and he replies "da!" – oh man, Brian and I laughed!! Like he knew what he was saying yes to – about equally his dah or nyht is the right response! That's me the math major talking (LOL!)

Short bath for Genya tonight as we ate late and he wasn't real well behaved in the bath again – some of those phrases are on the list going to Elena! Then Richard Scarry learning DVD (English = more boring) and then bed… Trying to get him into bed by 9:30pm each night hoping that he sleeps until 8 or 9am! {ok, tonight he was in bed by 8:45pm…went up to the DVD showing and turned it off (touched the computer which he hasn't really done since day 2!) But I think he maybe was looking to go to bed as he said "spah-koy-nih noche" (goodnight) as soon as I took him to his bed! We stay up later – check emails, blog, check other websites… but love signing on in the morning to read the comments that had been left for us… Morning reading is usually better than evening as there are MORE COMMENTS! LOL