Super Alyosha

Alyosha: Mama, first I will tell a story, then you tell a story. Ok? Up on one time, there was a Super Alyosha. And he would fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly until he saw a pirate house. There was a pirate flag and a pirate door and pirate toothpaste and a pirate toothbrush and a pirate cup and there was batman toothpaste too. And Super Alysoha would walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk until he saw a spider man. And spider man and Super Alyosha would go to the store and buy pirate toothpaste and pirate toothbrushes and batman toothbrushes too. That is all. Isn't that a wonderful story? Now it is your turn...

Mama: One time there was a Super Alyosha. And he had 3 super powers: the power to fly, but fly very slowly, the power to run very very fast, and the power to help.

Super Alyosha decided to take a trip to a place very far away. He decided to take a trip to Egypt, but not only a trip, he would fly himself to Egypt. Since he was a slow flier, it took him 5 days to get there, but it was a wonderful trip.

As he was flying over the Atlantic Ocean he saw all of the fish and the dolphins. It was beautiful to fly over Morocco and Tunisia, and finally after 5 days he made it to Egypt. He went to the capitol of Egypt, Cairo, which is right on the sea.

The next day he decided to get on the tourist bus and go with all the tourists to the Valley of the Kings and to see the pyramids at Giza. No one on the tourist bus knew that he was Super, and Alyosha didn't tell anyone...he wanted to be a tourist just like everyone else.

The tour bus took everyone to the Valley of the Kings and let them off the bus to explore the pyramids and the sculptures and the artwork of the ancient Egyptians. Everyone had a wonderful time because it was such a beautiful day and they were in a very special and ancient place.

In the evening when it was time to get back to the tourist bus, everyone started looking around and it was as if the tourist bus just disappeared! Everyone was getting worried because since it was evening, that meant it would be night soon and all the desert animials would be coming out of their hiding places. The desert snakes and scorpians would come up from under the rocks. The desert foxes would come from their dens. The desert lizards would come from behind the cactus. Then the desert would be a scary place for a bunch of tourists!

Super Alyosha had a plan. He told all the tourists to go look on the other side of the pyrimid because maybe the bus is just hiding to play a trick on us. The tourists thought that was a good idea, so they went over to have a look. In the meantime, Super Alyosha ran to Cairo to look for somthing to carry all of the tourists in. It only took him 2 minutes to get to the city because of his super power to run very fast. It would take a normal person all day to run that far!

The only thing that Super Alyosha could find was a big wagon to fit all of the tourists in. So he grabbed it and ran back to the Valley of the Kings. By the time Super Alyosha made it back, the tourists were just beginning to come back from the other side of the pyrimid. They told him that they didn't find the bus hiding back there and they were all very worried. Super Alyosha said not to worry and told everyone to climb into the wagon he found.

They were all very skeptical because he didn't even have a car or horses to pull the wagon. But they climbed in. Super Alyosha said hold on, and he started walking slowly--then he took off. The tourists were all amazed!

Since Super Alyosha could only fly slowly, he decided to take everyone on a wonderful trip. He flew over the Valley of the Kings and saw all of the pyrimids and the sphinx from the sky. They saw all of the desert animals crawling and playing around in the sand. Then he slowly took them back to Cairo where they flew all around the city, looking over the city lights and the tall towers. It was very beautiful. Then, finally, Super Alyosha landed in front of their hotel safe and sound.

All of the tourists said "Thank you, Alyosha, that was so great!"

That's all.

Alyosha: Mama, that was an amazing story.

Random Pictures

More Alyoshaisms

Alyosha: Mama, I have a lot of names right?
Mama: Yeah
Alyosha: Why?
Mama: Because you are Russian and that means that you have a lot of names...
Alyosha: Alyosha Kartosha, Aleks, Lyosha, Lyoha....But Cheryl only has one name, why?
Mama: Because Cheryl isn't Russian--so she is just Cheryl.
Alyosha: Mama, that's funny, I can make Cheryl Russian... Cheryl, Cheryl, BoBeryl, BananaFannaFoFerral, MeMiMoMerral, Cheryl!
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Al: Mama, why am I bless youing? (translation: Why am I sneezing?)

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Al: Mama, you be the princess and I'll do the saving.

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Early in the day Alyosha was running around and jumping on the bed. He exclaimed that he could feel his heart beating! Later in the day he was reading a book and I was cooking in the kitchen and I heard him yell: Mama!! Mama!! My heart stopped beating! He has just read a book about the skeleton and muscles and organs and how they all work together, so he was really worried. I told him it was still beating, but you only feel it hard when you do exercise or jump around--he started jumping and said, 'oh, there it is!'

Но, залётные, фартиссимо, мама мия! Или "Фронтовые весточки" ч.1.

Сегодня официально объявили о регрессе (экономическом). Ура-а-а!
Неадекватность моих эмоций обусловлена тем, что до сегодняшнего дня очень неприятно было ощущать себя одним из немногих, которые рассуждают о приближающемся кризисе. А теперь об этом говорят все!

Посмотрел на свой пенсионный фонд, падает, очень сильно падает в цене Только за первые две недели года полторы тысячи минус... Сначала подумал, что вот опять неудачно распределил фонды, "не туда" положил, но осмотр состояния всех остальных фондов, позволяет сделать старинное философское умозаключение: "А кому сейчас легко?!" И от этого становится легче.

Любопытно, что народ в университете с удивлением обсуждал эту новость: как? неужели? а ведь всё было так хорошо, ничто не предвещало... То ли будущие работники государственного аппарата не следят за своими расходами, то ли они настолько погружены в изучение теории госуправления, что, только когда профессор говорит о грядущих трудностях, они вдруг осознают, что пора затянуть поясок и отложить покупку очередного АйПода.

Интересно, как сильно на этот раз качнёт... Нам-то, людям прошедшим две или три валютных деноминации, несколько гиперинфляций, купонов, невыплат, дефицитов, отключения воды и электричества, и прочих социально-экономических "просраций", легче воспринимать происходящее.
В 61-ом отец, придя с работы, обнаружил известие о том, что на утро будет произведена деноминация рубля, к этому времени за несколько часов в магазинах уже были только пустые полки и всё те же, милые советские лица продавцов, не уходящих с поля брани, даже когда "боеприпасы" кончились. Именно благодаря находчивости нашего папы (или отсутствию альтернативы), у нас в доме до сих пор сохранилась достаточно большая коллекция открыток тех времен, ибо они были единственным товаром, на которые он смог потратить все свои, кровно заработанные. За 47 лет наша семья так и не смогла использовать все эти открытки.

На сегодня всё, пошёл за мукой...

Birthday time

A few days late...but Happy Birthday Gala and Trisha! Trish, we have shown your gnome a good time for your birthday!

What a great week

We have had an exciting and busy week..After the great snow weekend, we had a house guest. Cheryl was able to stop by Portland on her whirlwind travels around the States before she goes back to Vladivostok to save the Tigers and leopards. Alyosha had many emotions while we had a house guest--from forgetting "that girl's" name to wanting to marry her--he finally settled with helping her find a quick fix to save those endangered big cats so she can just stay here in Portland with him. His idea for wild animal protection...build a big, tall, huge wall around the entire habitat and keep the dirty, polluting people out. Maybe Cheryl will make that her own
project and name the wall "Stena Alyosha Kultajev" We are really glad you came, Cheryl, and hope that we can visit you on some wild Zapovednik in Russia someday.

click on picture to enlarge

We surprised Cheryl with a Welcome to Portland Russian Christmas party. Our table isn't quite big enough for everyone, but at a Russian Party, you somehow end up in a circle around vodka and sala...

Cheryl and Alyosha carefully put a pizza together

Alyosha finally got his Spiderman gum...from Grandma in the mail. Oh, the excitement!

Friday night swim night at the SW Community center...Yes, Alyosha was there too, but he was moving too fast to catch on still photography. He went down the slide HIMSELF!! Video to come maybe..

Weekend at Government Camp

Click on the picture for larger view

What an amazing weekend we had at Government Camp on Mt. Hood! Kirsten (tubing down the tube hill that we build ourselves in the front yard) invited us up to her mom's home in Government Camp. The little ski village is right at the base of Ski Bowl (downhill skiing) and next to some beautiful cross country ski trails-- if you are brave enough to forge the trails yourself.


Here is Kirsten's Mom--Grandma Jeanne. She is such an open and inviting person and shared her entire home with us and another family who also have 2 kids--a 5 year old and 10 month old. It is pretty brave to let into your home a 3 and 5 year old AND two curious 1 year olds who explore pretty much every nook and cranny. On top of all that--she didn't even know us until we drove up with our pillows and pajamas! She (and her family) is a rare altruist.


It snowed and snowed and snowed the entire time we were there, from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. The branches were hanging so low, almost vertical, from the heavy snow. And the snow was piled on, defying gravity.

Alyosha is "cleaning the snow" off of the fence.

The snow plow comes twice a day to clear the roads and at least once a day to clean up as much of the driveway as it can get to. So, the front yard has a 20 foot (at least) snow mountain--a perfect mountain to make into a tubing hill! Going down on one tube is good, but if you get two, you fly (and bounce). Jen's fun is bouncing down the hill.

Roma and Luka are sitting in their snow cave. On the second morning, the snow plow completely covered our wonderful tubing hill. So we decided to turn it into our igloo apartment building.

Luka LOVES the snow. He was warm and dry sitting on his little sled wrapped up by the sheep skin. He just sat and enjoyed the snow falling down on his face, the perfect little snowflakes hitting every millimeter of his little face. He watched the two older boys jump and play on the sledding hill and shovel the snow...next time he will be right beside them.

Alyosha was like a camel in the desert eating the snow. (to understand you have to see the Planet Earth series and the wild Bactrian camels--who eat snow little by little to survive) He kept saying that he wouldn't eat too much, only a little at a time like the camels do.

Jen cross country skiing. You have to really know where you are going--I went when the tracks were already made by a local. The danger is that this field isn't actually a field; it is a swamp. A swamp with little creeks and deep holes that you could fall into unaware because it looks like a beautiful flat meadow. Roma decided he would go early in the morning--and Kirsten offered to guide him through the meadows full of pot holes. (8 ft. deep pot holes) They made it back from the 2 mile trip just fine.

Alyosha got caught by Papa, eating snow. He tried to explain about the camels in the desert, but Papa hasn't seen that Planet Earth yet.

Luka is going to be our downhill skiier--he practiced all weekend on the stairs. He is already an expert at 'down stair' skiing.

Here is Luka in his little waterproof pouch we made for him from old waders filled with sheep skin.

Romka grilling the shashlik that we made for dinner on Saturday night. It was delicious!

Here is Rachel and Kirsten--all getting ready for dinner.

Notice the snow? It literally snowed the entire time we were on the mountain. Nice puffy white snow--

Here is a pic of the house we stayed in--it is almost necessary to have a warm place to go when you are playing in the snow with little kids! This was ideal--just down the street are literally hundreds of people clamoring for parking spaces and looking for the best sledding spot. We are so grateful!

Here is the downhill ski slopes--Grandma Jeanne's backyard.

The car ride home. I think that this is the face of someone who really loves the mountains.

Happy New Year

Hello to Everyone in 2008! We had a really nice celebration popping open a bottle of champagne for the Estonian New Year--then we quietly brought in the Portland New Year watching the fireworks explode under the bridge.

Romka is back to work, the kids are back to driving just Jen crazy (Oh, how I am counting the days until spring. I'm praying for a early start in February!!!)

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Thank you, Stacy, for the warm beautiful Christmas present.

The many faces of a pirate.

I just wanted to add a couple of Alyosha's sayings of late...

Alyosha: "Mama, Mama please sing me the virgin song!" Mama: "Silent Night, Holy Night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child....."

Alyosha playing with his horse and cowboy and spiderman and a pirate or two: Nee nah, nee nah, nee nah! Take the cowboy to the hostable! Take him to the hostable! The pirate pushed him off his horse and they need to give him a shot so his blood soldiers will work better to fix his boo boo!

Yes, we told him that he has blood soldiers (not a far stretch from the white blood cells, right?) and they fight the germs and build blood clot walls when he gets a cut. We'll see if he gets messed up or becomes a creative writer.