My Hooligans

Hooligans or helpers?  Depends on how you look at the picture.  The big boys are either practicing their alphabet with refrigerator magnets or they are doing anything possible to stay under foot while I cook and clean.  Truthfully it is a little of both.  Luka read what Alyosha was spelling on the fridge “It spells all of our names, Mama.  Alyosha Kultajev, Mama Jenya Kultajev, Papa Roma Kultajev, Niki Kultajev and Me Kultajev.”  I asked again what that last one was just to make sure and he reiterated “Me Kultajev”

And now to Niki.  The real hooligan in the picture.  Niki is the reason that Roma screwed all of our bookshelves into the wall.  It was done 2 years before he was born, but we had the feeling.  We can pretend that he is helping to unload the dishwasher, but reality is that  he’s trying to get the butter.  He is too short to see it, but with his sense of smell and drive to put any and all food (or not food) into his mouth he knows it is there. 

The only thing to do when the kids take over the kitchen when I am supposed to be cleaning it is to surrender, jump into the shower and hope it is clean when I get out.

Luka will be 3 next week and I decided to give him a birthday party.  These are the invitations that we made together for the party.  Honestly, December birthdays are not on my list of favorite things.  Winter is just not on my list of favorite things, but 3 is a big birthday because it is the first one that he can participate in and realize that it is his day so I want it to be special.  Thanks to Roma’s birthday and thoughtful Aunts and parents and parent's-in-law, Roma got a cool grill/fire pit for his birthday. That will be the center of our festivities.  Hot dogs, sausages, roasted marshmallows…of course birthday cake and a HUGE piñata that we made--that might bust on the first hit—but it will be fun!

Notice the tie dye?  Alyosha has worn the same outfit to school 3 days in a row.  What can I do? That is what he wants…I wonder if anyone has noticed?

 

Nikolai LOVES the slide.  Once you get him started he will cry if you don’t put him right back on top.  Over and over, head first only.