Week in Review

I have always known that I was not the type to scrapbook, update, and such.  But I did think I would get a little bit better at moving away and not working.  Well I was wrong, very wrong.  That talent was definitely passed to my other siblings.  Last week was a busy week.  It was a good week just busy.

Owen and I had a play date on Tuesday.  Lisa and her 10 month old son, Cayden, came over.  They have been gone for too long in the US by this point.  I was missing my friend and Owen missing his.  Cayden is a very active crawler and Owen is a very active walker, so they hit it off.  Owen was showing Cayden how to crawl under the table and over the chairs, up the stairs, and around the house, not to mention how to pull all the food out of the refrigerator and the cabinets.  I am sure Lisa was thrilled with all of Cayden's new tricks.  Owen plays with other kids, but that is the first time I have really seen him interact with another kid.  They were talking to each other and playing.  It was great.

Look Owen, I got into the cabinet!

And this is how you chew on cords

This is to keep us out of cabinets, but I play with it instead.  Why don't you try it?  Nothing can keep me out.

I think I will!  Thanks Owen!

Wednesday, Owen and I went bowling with the SSA (Schlumberger Spouses Association).  That was quite fun too.  Owen loved all the bright colored balls and kept trying to be the ball down the lane.  And even with him I still managed to bowl over 100.  We had a nice lunch and Owen ate a fair share of cheese pizza.  He missed his nap this day and only napped for about 30 minutes.  I learned he is not cranky when he misses a nap but quite hyper.  Which can be quite tiring on me.

Thursday, Owen and I went to the IWC (International Women's Committee) membership meeting at the Finland Embassy.  It was their sign up day for interest groups and my Bible Study leader asked if I would help her out while she was out of the country.  Sure why not.  Owen played in the playroom with the other kids and was the perfect little gentleman.  They said he shared his snacks and emptied all the draws. That would be my boy.  Me on the other hand am not sure what I was doing.  Obviously telling a point.  :)

Friday, was the weekly play group.  It was small group of all boys at play group this week.  It was quite nice.  Owen made a new friend that was around 2 1/2.  They seemed to follow each other everywhere. At the same time Owen helped Kim clean her house with the broom and dustpan.  He seems to love this toy anywhere he is.  And then Friday night David and I went to the IWC Embassy Ball.  It was quite fun.

We went and ate at the Switzerland Embassy and then headed to the Ritz Carlton.  It was the first time David and I have really been out in a long time.  Isn't he dapper in his tux!?!

So now I am nearly through with this week and will hopefully start blogging a bit better from here on out.  I guess we'll see.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well the sub-artic temperatures have arrived.  From what everybody says it has been an unusually warm winter.  When we left in December to head back to Arkansas it was in the mid 20s here.  We got back with it being in the mid teens.  Still not too bad.  Then this past week it hit. It has been in the negative teens.  That just sounds wrong.  Weather should not go to negative numbers.  That is too cold!

Before I moved here and was completely uneducated about Russia I had the vision of cold miserable days with snow swirling around me and under foot.  Then I moved here in the summer and was in shock.  And then winter came and it didn't seem so bad.  Well last Thursday was the vision in action.  I think it was -12 that day.  I do talk in Fahrenheit.  I am a little fuzzy on Celsius and most of the people that read this already think in Fahrenheit.  So we will keep it that way.  Plus talking in Celsius just makes it seems colder.  -12 F is  -24 C.   That is an even bigger negative number.  So we will stick with F for now.

Anyway, the day was cold and slightly miserable, but did that stop Owen and I from braving it.  NO!  Owen and I went to the mall to have lunch with David on his birthday.  The Russians don't let the cold stop them, so why should I.  The only problem is that the Muscovites are much more used to the cold so they do a casual stroll.  I on the other hand am practically running.  And mind you I have the stroller in front of me, so I am clipping these arm in arm snugglers, yelling excuse me "извините" the whole way.  So when I get to my destination my face is frozen solid and my legs are numb but I am sweating under my coat, scarf, gloves, and hat.  And not to mention that buildings here are overheated so I am in short sleeves.  And Owen is cozy and warm in his snowsuit.  First thing we do when we get to the mall or anywhere is to take off the outerwear and do a combination of thaw and melt.

Then Friday came and Owen and I are gearing up for baby group at my friend Katherine's.  It is not far from me and I walked there last time.  So I thought if the number is positive I will walk again.  I would have even taken the number 0 for positive, but no as I leave the house the temperature is -13.  I mean seriously!  So I took the metro which was an experience as always.  I don't know if the holidays or the weather made people more grouchy but they are not helping the way they did before.  And then the exit gates at the metro stop I took didn't have a wide turnstile for me so I had to take Owen out of the stroller and fold up the stroller to get through then pop it back open to put Owen in.  Just another normal day in Moscow.

But yesterday was by far the coldest day for me.  I was just asking David the temp yesterday and he said it wasn't the coldest day we had but it sure did feel like it.  I don't know why but I was cold all day.  Even to the point, that today I go out and think that it is not too bad and fairly warm at -2.  What is wrong with me!?!

So, who's ready to come visit?