Oh the weather outside is....
.... pretty warm for Siberia. You thought I was going to say frightful, didn't you?=) It was in the upper 30s today so walking around town today was actually fun and not painful. The bad part about it is that all of the snow and ice has melted into black slush. The beautiful ice sculptures have melted and fallen over. We so wanted the boys to be able to experience the ice slides but there goes probably the only fun thing we had to do with them. Oh well, I guess screaming and running down the halls of our hotel will have to do.=)
We saw the boys today and yesterday. It's neat getting to see more of their personalities as they get more comfortable with us. They are very much into routine. Today instead of going straight to the play room, we went to our youngest's group room today and when he saw us he threw himself on the floor and cried. It took him a while to get over it but all was well again once we went to the playroom. Our oldest definitely has some problems with listening but he is very sweet natured and I hope he stays that way. Yesterday as I held him he put his hands to my face and softly touched my cheeks and pushed back my hair from my face, it was quite a moment. I'm a little worried about how these munchkins will do in our hotels for 10 days. Any constructive ideas about entertainment are welcome.
Dave & Beth leave tomorrow for Russia, they'll be going to St. Petersburg first but will meet up with us in Kras next Monday. I am so excited for them to get here! We really miss our family and friends. Sometimes I think we'll never leave this place!!!!! Lord willing, we will one week from tomorrow.=)
We found a new tasty restaurant today which is always very exciting. The typical Russian food gets old real fast and this place was out of the norm, they had waffle fries for goodness sake!!!! On another exciting note, today was clean sheet day at our hotel! It's so sad but I LOVE clean sheet day!
That's all for now. Next post will be Gotcha Day!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!
posted by Chris Goeppner @ 7:48 AM
16 Comments:
Wow... entertaining kids for ten days in a Russian hotel.. I will pray for ya'll! We're so used to playgrounds everywhere and kid activities and pools at hotels! We're spoiled, I guess! Maybe you could ask the locals about a playground or park or perhaps there is a cinema with an animated movie playing? If all else fails, you could pick up some toys at a toy store. Otherwise maybe they would have fun flying paper airplanes or stacking dixie cups into a pyramid. They could play "basketball" with crushed up paper, throwing it into the trash can. Playing in the tub with cups is always fun too! :) Good Luck!
Thanks so much for the great ideas Jody!
I can't wait for you to meet our boys!
Blessings,
Penny
you can teach them the Gator fight song, or evern the Gator Chomp! Chris knows it all to well. We love to throw our kids around on the bed, make some forts, and freeze dance!
love you guys,
emily and the edwards clan
What great ideas from your other comments. I wonder if you could teach your oldest how to play the memory card game (if you could find cards). It's got to be hard with the language barrier. But you'll find things to keep them busy. Just letting them explore and get into everything, turn lights on and off will entertain them for hours I'm sure.
Get a basket that the youngest will fit in and the oldest can push him around the halls while screaming.
Good luck!
Your mention of the next post being Gotcha Day gives me chills. Very excited for you.
Congratulations! I have been following your journey recently, we brought our son home from Siberia three weeks ago.
As to how to entertain them in the hotel... you will be surprised at the toys you can make with empty water bottles, empty paper cups, and city maps. Seriously! Our son will spend a bit of time just looking at the maps, pointing at stuff and babbling. He also enjoyed going out and people watching... Moo-moo is a good place for dinner on Arabat Stret and very much kid friendly. McD's is also just up the street from it.
Have fun and safe travels.
So glad that your time is almost up! How fun to meet with another adoptive family. I'm sure you'll enjoy the visit. :)
By the way, I agree... LOVE clean sheet day! It's the little things in life...
:)
Jody
Arabat Street in Moscow is amazing! Definitely take them to the McDonald's. Regan eating her first french fry was priceless. Also, even if they have tons of toys in the orphanage they don't always get to play with them. Even a few small toys will keep them entertained. Also, at that age, no matter how many toys you have they still will get bored sometimes. It's okay too! Be tough, that's what us parents do best!
It is too bad about the ice sculptures. They were just starting to assemble them when we visited in December. We were so hoping so see the finished product.
I cannot wait to hear about you big day. Life is about to change in such a miraculous way! Can you believe that it is going to happen after all this time waiting. I know you are excited to being this new part of your life.
Wendy
That's my Penny.....love clean sheet day. Maybe I should start something like that here.....lol!
The kids are always asking for you and are crossing off the days!
Love you and miss you!
Praying and can't wait for Gotcha day!
Penny....you know how to keep kids busy...your a pro.
I second Cheryl's comment. I was wondering why you were asking others for ideas to keep kids busy too... you are definitely the pro!
Can't wait!
you will be fine. just think back to your camp counselor days.
good luck, im happy everything is working out for you.
Penny ~
I agree that you'll be amazing ~ you read kids so well and they all love you!! Since you asked for ideas (you probably want to be overprepared knowing you!), though, I've been brainstorming and praying for you. I know the language barrier makes playtime more challenging. If you can get a hold of some balloons, they are always a hit with kids! Even my little Caleb (21 mo.) can catch a balloon and bat it back and forth. If all else fails, whip out the Iphones! Don't know a kid out there who wouldn't like to press all those buttons, look at pictures, watch videos or listen to music (even in a foreign language). It would be fitting for Chris to bond over an Iphone! :) He'll raise them with Jesus in their hearts and Macs on their laps! :)
We can't wait for Gotcha Day!! Praying for the Geoppner and Kush Families!! Go get those boys!!
Woohoo!!!!
Walks, long, long walks. Whether in distance or time. It can take my kids an hour to walk the 4 blocks to a little bridge by our house and back and they never get tired of it. No matter how many times we walk the exact same 4 blocks they always find something different to look at and it's a great way to start teaching them some english words. As a side benefit they're often exhausted after and ready for some quiet play or a nap. Just bundle them up and head out to explore.
Can't wait to here about Gotcha day! We are so happy for you!
We are praying for you all! I think today's the day!!! What an amazing journey....Keep posting - we love to live vicariously through the adoption experience!!! Lyette and the gang...And as far as keeping boys occupied - our favorite with Courson is the surprise attack game...hiding behind anything we take turns ambushing one another....and he can make a weapon out of anything...
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