Dozing at Dinner

Poor Dima almost fell asleep at dinner the other night!  I'm not sure why we found - and still find - this so funny. Maybe it's the way Denis is laughing in the background... It's been an exhausting month. May is wearing us out with all the end-of-year happenings, packing up the apartment, etc. Hang in there, Dima!

Other April Happenings

I can't believe it's May 1st! April was a busy month for us. Besides two birthdays, we had the following going on:

Easter - This holiday is always low-key at our place, but the Easter Bunny did manage to come. The boys then got to gather in The Back Yard for a chilly egg hunt!

International Day - It was fun to see our two Russian-born boys at the Parade of Nations. Aren't they handsome?

KA Concert - Denis and classmates performed a concert for parents one afternoon. They all sounded great and looked fabulous in their national dress.

Here's a 4-minute clip of the concert for the grandparents!

Swimming - Be it at the pool for lessons or just splashing around the River Mall now that the weather is warm enough, D&D love the water.

Around the house / Out on the town - Here are a few random shots of us doing random things.

A trip to the annual sumo tournament in Osaka (in March)

A game of peek-a-boo!

Yum!

Lola and Dima doing what they do best - eating!

 Denis painting a carp for the upcoming Children's Day holiday

Denis and Max doing what they do best - being silly!

Sewing & Quilting - When I've been able to find a few spare moments, I've spent them sewing and quilting. I've been making some things for my new craft room (more on that later) and trying to finish a quilt I started back in Peru. This quilt - named Los Animales for all the amazing wildlife we saw while living in Peru and traveling around South America and Antarctica - has been sitting in my projects-to-be-completed tub for five years now, and it's time to get it done! My goal is to have it done before we move into the new house (more on that, too, soon) so I can hang it in the kids' play room. (Yes, this new place we're moving into has enough space for a craft room, a play room...)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Dima!

Dima turned two yesterday! We had to celebrate a few days early, however, as Jon was going to be in Singapore on his actual birthday. The beautiful thing about turning two is that you have no idea what's going on. But you can see from the many smiles on Dima's face that - whatever was going on - he was loving it! Thanks to all of you who sent cards, gifts, and birthday wishes. You made his day.

I love this next progression of pictures. Look at Dima's reaction to the mystery present...

He was absolutely thrilled - and somewhat terrified! - by the Raggedy Andy that Granny and Tom sent. Priceless!

We're not sure who was more excited about the new balance bike - Dima or big brother?

Happy 5th Birthday, Denis!

April 13th, 2012 - Denis's 5th birthday - started off with a pile of presents in the morning. A pile of presents that had a bit of a Star Wars theme...

The birthday celebration continued at school, where Jon and I were able to join Denis and his classmates for cupcakes during morning snack. The video clip didn't turn out, but you can imagine a bunch of 4- and 5-year-olds singing a familiar birthday tune. April 13, 2012 was also the debut of my new 36-capacity cupcake carrier! Isn't it a dandy? The cupcakes, unfortunately, were a bit of a flop. It turns out you really can over-beat frosting... But they still tasted good!

The festivities continued into the evening with a few friends and more cupcakes and ice cream back at our place. 

Happy birthday, Denis! We can't believe you're 5!