Little Climber

Jack's favorite spot in our house is the big sliding door/window that looks out over the street and the duck pond. He knows the word for car and duck now and eagerly crawls over to the window if we ask him where the ducks are.

This favorite place has just become dearer to his little heart as it also houses the big armchair and footstool he has learned to climb this week!

Love those ducks!

Hmmm...

Now there's an idea!

Up we go

Nearly there

King of all he surveys!

Now what about getting down?

Oh, that's the easy part!

Guess I'm going to have to grow eyes in the back of my head to keep up with him...this morning I found him climbing from the arm of the chair up onto the piano. Yikes!

Christmas Memories

This is a random post from December! We had a sleep over with Michaela right before Christmas when Ness and Sean went out of town for a night and took Alexis with them. We had such fun and Jack loved having her around. Here are a few shots of her decorating some gingerbread men I made:

Very serious about the icing!

She very thoughtfully made one for Alexis too

Jack helped

The Amaryllis

Just before Christmas, Andre's "adopted" parents, Jack (who our Jack is named for) and Carolyn, sent us such a lovely gift: a potted amaryllis bulb. I couldn't wait for it to bloom and yesterday it did (I had been rather worried I would manage to kill it along the way!) We're enjoying it in all it's gorgeousness!

Thank you Nonee and Doodan!

Saturday Brunch

It's taken me a week to post this but I'm finally getting caught up on some blogging. Last Saturday, our dear friends, the Barkers, came into town for the day and stopped by for brunch. Unfortunately, Andre was out working that morning, but I had a great time catching up with them. Thanks for spending some of your day with us, friends!

Evie, Mara Kate and Jack

Jana and me ('scuse my lack of make-up here!)

Dr. Phil

So I came into the living room yesterday and this is what I saw:


He had turned on the TV all by himself and was watching Dr. Phil. Ha!

And Of Course, Some Snow Pics!

Yes, we're snowed in here down South and having fun with the unusual weather. Thankfully no power outages in our area, so we're very blessed to be warm and safe and able to just enjoy the snow. Even though the weather warmed up a bit today, it's supposed to get really cold again tonight, so lots of ice is forecast for the morning. Best to stay inside, we're told! I was so proud of myself for having stocked up on all necessary items over the weekend (specifically diapers and formula), only to discover as I cleaned up a particularly yucky diaper this evening that we are now out of wipes. Oops.

Our building

Cars stuck on the road nearby

One of the ponds in our complex

The boys

He giggled when his butt went through the ice

Ok, guys, it's getting chilly!

Holiday Catch Up #7: Last One!

I promise this is the very last post about the holidays! I just have to get all these photos up here for family far away :). Our time in Pennsylvania with Andre's family was really special and quite relaxing. Olga and Vladimir spent the weekend with us. They own the house that Mama and Deada live in and are putting it on the market soon, so while they were there, we all spent some time sorting, throwing away and doing small repairs. The kiddos played together so nicely and Jack didn't have a dull moment with all his cousins giving him attention!

Deada and his youngest great-grandchild (Jack is #25!)

Loving the swing

Getting some fresh air with Daddy and cousin Phillip

Contemplating the corn rows

Deada and Marianna

Sisters

These babies sure do love their Baba!

Vladimir doing house repairs

Andre, Phillip, Danielle and Neena playing card games

Andre helping to sort through boxes of papers

Danielle the bookworm

Olga and Marianna

The littlies playing together

Jack enjoying bath time as always, especially exploring a new tub!

We are now back home, getting settled in and into the routine of a new year.
Happy 2011 everybody!!

Holiday Catch Up #6: New Year's Day

New Year's Day 2011 was Mama's 60th birthday! We had fun opening presents in the morning, cooking a big birthday lunch and having Andre's sister Olga and her family arrive in the evening. They live about 2 hours away from where Mama is now and they have 6 children. Needless to say, Jack was in heaven with all these "big" kids around!

Mama opening presents

Birthday love for "Baba"

A wonderful milestone to reach!

Mama and her brood
Vladimir, Olga, Marianna, Deada, Anna, Andre, Mama,
Danielle holding Jack, Phillip, Neena and me

Mama and Deada with the kiddos
Couch: Deada, Anna, Marianna, Jack, Mama, Danielle
Floor: Andre, Phillip and Neena

Holiday Catch Up #5: New Year's Eve

The Monday after Christmas I came down with a nasty 12 hour tummy bug which Rachel also had. Thankfully, Mum and Dad were still with us that day and were such a help with Jack, as Andre was out working on a project the whole day. Dad was wonderful, playing with Jack, feeding him and keeping him occupied, as Mum was trying to get ready to leave for her trip to Cape Town that night. Her plane ended up being delayed three hours due to weather and Dad's flight back to Illinois was canceled until the next morning. Poor things! So, drama, drama in our household that day.

By Wednesday when we left to head up north for New Years with Andre's family, we all had colds. Yuck. But we had a good trip up and settled in for a relaxing week in Amish country :)

On New Year's Eve, Andre went out for a drive and took some great photos of the surrounding views for us.

View from the street where Mama lives

Amish buggys are everywhere!

Amish farm stall where we buy amazingly yummy bread

And yes, folks, honesty is the best policy around here :)

Last sunset of 2010

Mama opening her Christmas present
(a book of Jack's first year in photos)

Andre's Grandfather, "Deada" in Russian

Mama's sister, Lyuda

A New Year's Eve feast