Denis Turns Three

Happy birthday, Denis! How does it feel to be three? You're getting to be such a big boy - 15 kg and 97.6 cm big! Big enough for a scooter! We hope you enjoyed your parties (one at home and the other at Peter Pan). We love you.

Spring Happenings

It's been so busy around here that I haven't found the time to post in a while. Here's what we've been up to this spring so far...

FOOD & FUN FAIR

FIELD TRIP TO NARA

EASTER

SACK RACES

Who knew my talent was in sack racing?

TULIPS AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS

TEA PARTIES

SPRING BREAK WITH GAIL

Tea Time!

I've been studying tea ceremony for the last couple of years and the other day I had my first performance. Jon was my guest, and Tami-san (my teacher) dressed us both in kimono for the special occasion. I made a few errors and almost got the giggles half way through (waiting for Jon to finish his sweet so I could stop whisking the tea!), but overall I'm pleased with my performance. Okashi-o dozo.

Ten Years Ago

Ten years ago on St. Patrick's Day, at a fated CEESA (Central & Eastern European Schools Association) teachers' conference in Prague, I met Jon. Was it the luck o' the Irish? We have different recollections as to how the weekend went, exactly, but it turned out to the beginning of a long-distance romance. How many trips did we make between Vilnius and Riga over the next couple of years? If only Eurobus had a frequent flyer program, I'd still be rich in bus miles!

Snapshots from my blonde-hair-dying, scrapbook-making days.

A Spring Hike

It was a beautiful spring day today, one that called for a 'hike' in the 'hills' behind our apartment. So, we donned our backpacks...

Strapped on our binoculars...

Looked for birds...

And more birds...

Smelled the flowers...

Watched the butterflies...

Greeted our favorite neighborhood kitty-cat...

And flew home...like a butterfly, stopping to 'drink the flowers' along the way!

Bye Bye, Diapers!

Hello, underwear! Yes, we're potty training (in earnest) as of this morning. Denis was proud to model his first pair of big-boy underwear and loves that they're from Toy Story.

Poor Woody and Buzz - they have no idea what's coming their way!

Celia Skis!

I've just returned from a ski trip with CA's 6th grade middle school students. Everyone - students and teachers, beginners and pros - had a great time out on the slopes. And...yours truly discovered that she loves to ski! This was quite a revelation as all prior attempts at skiing weren't very successful and left me feeling that this sport wasn't for me. But no longer! Now I'm actually looking forward to the day when we can go on a family ski trip. (First the camper, now the promise of a ski holiday... Jon's in heaven!)

Here's What's New!

My dad guessed it! "I bet you're buying one of those vehicles you can sleep in and drive around in and see the country in..." I think he may have pictured a full-size luxury RV, but still, he came the closest. Way to go, Dad! (A c-o-t-t-a-g-e, a cat, a car, and another baby(!) were the other guesses.)

So, yes, we're in the process of purchasing a 1997 VW EuroVan camper! I say 'in the process' because it won't officially be ours until we're back in North America this summer - when we can transfer the title and get it registered. However, we've mailed off our down payment and purchased four new tires... so it feels pretty official.

How did this come about? Interesting question. For the last few weeks, Jon and I have been trying to decide how to spend our summer holidays. We've known for months that the first part of our summer would be spent in Ireland and Switzerland with our families. But after that, we weren't sure what to do. A tough dilemma, I know! We proposed everything from renting an apartment on the Riviera to hiking in Hokkaido (northern Japan). But ultimately, we couldn't decide (agree?) on anything. The turning point came about with this conversation:

C: "OK, how about this? Let's go back to North America and split the last 4 weeks of our holiday. I get to plan what we do for two weeks, and you get to plan the other two weeks."

J: "Deal! I'm buying a camper van."

C: "I'm sorry, what was that, honey? I could have sworn you said..."

J: "Trust me...You're gonna love it!"

And so I do. And so I will. Who wouldn't love this:

Now, just wait until I tell Jon what I'm planning for my two weeks!

What's New?

What's new with us? Well, we're soon to be the proud new owners of this little gem...

Real pictures coming soon (as soon as the check clears!). In the meantime, any guesses as to what our new little gem might be? Go on, take a guess!

If you sit at the lunch table with me...sorry...you're not allowed to play along. And let me just apologize here for all the crazy conversations you've had to listen to lately!

Happy Gotcha Day!

Can you believe it's been a year that Denis has been with us? On February 3, 2009, he officially became our son. In some ways, it feels like he's been with us forever. And in other ways, it feels like yesterday that we were finalizing his adoption in Russia. What great memories we have of that trip and of the last twelve months!

Happy Gotcha Day, D! We love you.