When in Rome...

In Danville if you are not fully outfitted with running shoes and bike gear you feel out of place. We have great weather and beautiful trails that just beg for you to come outside and enjoy them, So I have gotten back into running, and ran six miles on Wednesday, (a personal best, but I hope for 8 in a couple of weeks). And Santa brought bikes for the whole family, and we managed 6 miles on our first outing today. JD plans on biking to work, and the boys will start riding to school (if I can let go of my worries). I hope this is the beginning of more healthy habits for the new year.

Brodie rides in style with his purse full of favorite toys and a snack! Yes, he calls it a purse, that is probably my fault, but I am not going to correct him.

Great neighbors!

We have always been very blessed with wonderful neighbors who have turned into friends, and our newest neighbors are no exception.We have had Halloween goodies and a pumpkin left on our doorstep, people dropping by just to say hi, and see if we need anything, and most recently we were given this gingerbread house with our name and address, and all the frosting and candy to decorate it with! The boys had a great time, and did a great job decorating it. I guess I need to step up my good neighbor game now that I have such great examples!

The proud artists!

Mr. Trouble

Brodie found the boys hair gel, and he was so proud of how nice his hair looked. He is into everything lately, we cannot leave him alone for too long, because silence always precedes a mess.

Miracles do happen...

Getting my boys together to have their picture taken is one of the most painful things about being a mother for me. I know that sounds dramatic, but I always see the cutest pictures taken of my friends children and of my nieces and nephews. However when the day comes my kids are cranky, they have runny noses, chapped lips, and in general just can't seem to look at the camera all at the same time. But I finally got my Christmas miracle, some really cut pictures of my boys, and it was only a little painful.

Happy Halloween!

Cyrus is a dead biker, Talen is the executioner, and Brodie of course is Yoda. We had a very nice and quiet Halloween, the weather was perfect, leaves changing colors, lots of peanut butter cups, and our best carved pumpkin ever! (Sorry no photo). It is good to be making memories in our new house.

Yoda Brodie

The boys taught Brodie the trick-or-treat smell my feet song, it was pretty cute to hear him say it when we knocked on doors. He also posed for a few pictures, he was a big hit with the teenage girls!

Talen with his second grade class.

Cyrus too cool for school...

Cyrus walks his last elementary school Halloween parade! Next year he will be in middle school and way too cool for a parade. I shed a few tears at that thought.

Goodbye Nora

We said goodbye to Nora this weekend, she has been apart of our lives for the last 3 years! I feel like I said goodbye to a sister, but we are so happy that she is moving on to other great adventures. Thank you for all the help and love you have given our family, we would not have survived Moscow without you!

First meal in our new house! 9/09

We are now the proud owners of home in Danville, Ca! We have not moved in yet, but we try to hang out there as much as possible. We feel so blessed!

Cyrus runs for office!

Cyrus is a new kid in a new school so he decides he is going to run for student body vice president! He is so barve! He did not win, he ran against 12 other brave souls, but we still could not be more proud!

First day of school 8/25/09

Cyrus and Talen have been really good sports about staring over with a new school, house, and city. They have both made some friends and tried new things. We feel so lucky to have such great boys!

Low tide on Goonie Beach 8/09

Brodie 8/09

Cyrus 8/09

Talen 8/09

Family photo in Oregon 8/09

It is so hard to take a good family photo, I don't know how everyone does it! Talen looks cranky in this one, but he is cranky allot, so I guess it is accurate at least.

Baby Shower

I hosted a baby shower for my friends Lindsey and Jen and invited our friends from the branch. I love this photo, because it will always remind me of the awesome ladies in Moscow that I am going to miss so much.

Ready, steady, go!

The elementary school swim team had a swim meet and Cyrus participated in the freestyle 100 meters and the backstroke 100 meters. He had a great time, and we loved watching his progress! Go Cyrus!

Encore!

Cyrus' 4th grade Russian dance performance was so popular that we were able to watch him one more time at the encore performance. I just never get tired of watching Cyrus kick up his heels!

1st grade field trip

I was lucky enough to go on the field trip to the butterfly gardens with Talen's class. It was fun to see Talen in his element. He really loves school.

Talen helps his friend Alex find the butterfly that flew away.

Copenhagen, Denmark

We had a long weekend in May and so we planned our last trip. Denmark has been a place we have always wanted to go. We spent 4 days walking, biking, and driving all over Denmark. The boys had a really great time! We even took the car on the ferry to Sweden, (just to squeeze in one more country).

Tivoli Gardens, a 166 year old amusement park originally built to keep the commoners happy so they wouldn't dwell on how heavily they were being taxed. It worked and it is still a major tourist draw!

We spent one day touring Copenhagen with Mike our bike guide. We had allot of fine and even rode through the cemetery/park to see the final resting place of Hans Christan Anderson.

Little mermaid statue inspired by Hans Christen Anderson.

Learning how to row in a viking ship, at the viking museum. This was a highlight for the boys.

Fredrecksburg castle

One hour drive from Copenhagen, this castle was so beautiful!

sword fighting in Fredrecksburg castle

Why moving back the the U.S. is going to ROCK!!

As we ate our last box of American cereal my boys wined, "What are we going to do mom?" Everything I had brought from the states was gone, and my usual store Stockman's is no longer stocking such precious products like Cheerios and Quaker granola bars. I had to swallow my pride and ask one of the lucky women in our branch that have access to the American Embassy commisary to walk me through so I could purchase these coveted items.
Mikayla came to my rescue and was kind enough to take time out of her day to do this for me. JD ordered a car at 3:30 and I drove in traffic hell for over one hour, arrived at the embassy, passport in hand, and went through a security check leaving behind my cell phone. I spent 30 glorious minutes with Mikayla buying cereal, snack bars, and cheddar cheese! And then I got back in the car and spent another hour plus getting home!
I am really looking forward to a neighborhood Target!
Thank you Mikayla!

Brodie turns 2!

Brodie spent his birthday in his favorite place, the airplane. He is obsessed with flying, everything from take off to landing is so fun!
Brodie loves to color and "do his homework" each night when the boys are doing theirs.
Brodie loves to be outside and kick the ball, any ball will do.
His favorite foods are pineapple, strawberries, and watermelon.
He loves his brothers and can convince them to do anything for him.
He is very social, and talkative, but still won't go to nursery by himself!
His favorite phrases are, "no I don't" and "I don't like it mama" Yes he is a bit of a terrible two.
We love him to pieces and are so happy he is part of our family!

Brodie and grandpa taking a nap in Jeffy's house.

Jeff and Bobbi's wedding!

As the big day approached I realized I could not miss it, so I bought a last minute plane ticket and on April 23rd I fly with Brodie to Salt Lake to surprise everyone! I flew with a friend from Moscow and stayed in her house in Orem. I am so glad I made the journey. The Salt Lake Temple is beautiful, and it was so fun to see family and friends again. It is hard to be so far away for all the special events that happen each year, I wish I could have been to them all.
Congratulations Bobbi and Jeff!

one of my new favorite quotes :

I believe in myself. I do not mean to say this with egotism or arrogance, but I believe in my capacity and in your capacity to do good, to make some contribution to this society of which we are a part. I believe that I am a child of God endowed with a divine birthright. I believe that there is something of divinity within me and within each of you. I believe that we have a godly inheritance and that it is our responsibility, our obligation, and our opportunity to cultivate and nurture the very best of these qualities within us. I do not have to be a scrub, though my work may be menial. Though my contribution may be small, I can perform it with dignity and offer it with unselfishness. My talents may not be great, but I can use them to bless the lives of others. I can be one who does his work with pride in that which comes from his hand and mind. I can be one who works with respect for my associates, for their opinions, for their beliefs, with appreciation for their problems, and with a desire to help them should they stumble. I believe in the principle that I can make a difference in this world. (Gordon B. Hinkley, "Articles of Belief," Bonneville International Corporation Management Seminar, February 10, 1991.)

Sunday April 19, 2009

HAPPY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX EASTER TO YOUR FAMILY FROM OURS!

4th grade Russian Dance performance...

"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment."
Friday Cyrus and the rest of the 4th grade performed the Russian dances they have been working on since the beginning of the year! All the children really worked hard and they were amazing! Cyrus rocked, and really had the whole Russian persona down pat! I could not have been prouder of him and had tears in my eyes the whole time! It is moments like these that make being a mother so fun!

We are so proud of you Cy!

In action!

Cyrus' first boy girl dance! We are fast approaching the time when girls no longer have cooties.

Cyrus and his good friend Garrett

My family makes the journey!

My parents and sister were able to make the long journey to visit us in Moscow during spring break. We had such a great time showing them around! They received the full Russian treatment when coming back from St Petersburg and were lucky enough to pay a genuine bribe to a local security guard! Only in Russia!

The girls in front of old KGB building new FSB

Birthday dinner

My mom and Cyrus share a birthday, and Talen's was two weeks earlier, so Detchie our favorite cook came and prepared a feast! We stuffed ourselves with spring rolls, panceet, sweet and sour pork, chicken wraps, and date cake for dessert! We love this lady she is amazing and we are going to miss her when we are back in the states.

Fun at the Kremlin

St. Petersburg

Holly and I with the Hermitage (Winter Palace) behind us.

Vienna

JD and I spent a few days in Vienna the first week of March, we had a great time exploring this classical European city.