Pre-Halloween

Friday before Halloween and we went to the Halloween parade at Chapman. All the kids dressed up—and teachers too. Alyosha is D'artagnan and Luka is a construction worker.

Here is his teacher and the class on parade for the whole school and parents to see. It was a big day for everyone—so exciting.

Abe is a robot—he made the costume with silver duct tape. D'artagnan’s beard and mustache look real and really cute. Construction worker on a swing.

Alyosha made a black cat at school today with his special friend (that was me…) It had to have a D'artagnan hat and I was the helper friend. Then all the kids at Alyosha’s table wanted me to be their official cutter.

Niki the happy Russian.

Pascal and Pi

The Jacklins came to visit. Well, we did visit, but the main event was Greg's ride from Seattle to Portland. The Seattle/Portland bike race has been going on for 30 years--it is a 1-2 day, 200 mile ride that almost 10,000 people participate in each year. Greg made it in 10 hours! Yeah, Greg.

While Greg was doing his little bike trip (he will like that I said it that way...) we were playing and having a good time in beautiful Portland with Tanya and the kids.Here are the boys. Niki, 4 months, Pi 2.5 years, Pascal 4 years, Luka 2.5 years and Alyosha 5 years

Pi, Pascal and Luka are fishing in our 'backyard'.

I think that the kids could swing for hours. It is no wonder that Alyosha doesn't want to learn to pump and swing himself, it is really relaxing to just sit and be pushed back and forth. I could sit there for hours too.

Well, this trip isn't so relaxing-if you let Greg push you on the tire swing, then hold on tight and prepare to be dizzy when you get off.

Luka LOVES baby brother. He is a really good big brother for Nikolai. Niko is very lucky.

We went to the Rose Garden--Niki's first view of the roses on top of Portland

Camping Trip

We went camping at Trillium Lake with our NW Portland Summer Kids Club. The kids and parents had a great time. The water was even warm enough for me, Jen, the Texan, to swim in. I gave the other Moms responsibility of my 3 sons, swam out to the center of the lake and floated on my back. I considered staying in my beautiful solitude for a few hours, but decided that chaos suited me better. But the float was great!

Father and son work together to put up our shelter for the night. Unfortunately we didn't put the extra cover over the tent--I wanted to see the tops of the trees and the stars while we slept. Well, we are not in Texas anymore Toto--it is COLD in the mountains!!! I froze my toes off. The kids were warm in their -15 sleeping bags though.

Alison has a sleeper cabin in the top of her Eurovan--The kids used it as their playhouse. A funny story, well now it is a funny story: On the way home I spotted a white Eurovan on the side of the interstate with a blanket spread on the median and a woman with 2 kids sitting on the blanket having a snack and talking on the phone. I thought "hmmm, that looked like Alison, what a strange place to have a picnic." So, I got Roma to give her a call and after a series of questions Roma concluded that they were fine and were actually having a picnic in the median of a very busy interstate-at rush hour. Maybe Alison just wanted to give her kids a lesson on traffic, interesting. So, I called back just to make sure and we come to find out that they had broken down and were waiting for a tow truck. Tow trucks don't take children, so they were indeed in a pickle. Unfortunately, we could not turn around for them because of the traffic but Daddy came to save the day on the Mommy camping trip. Well, we have to make our husbands feel important some how...

Trillium Lake Scuba Team

Hot Dogs at midnight--nothing better while on a camping trip.

NW Portland Summer Kids

We got back to Portland LAST Sunday and have been running ever since! Some friends and I are doing a summer co-op for our kids. The summer camps are just too expensive, so we thought we could all get together and give our kids even more without paying so much money. I think that the kids are loving it; it is great to be able to spend so much time with them while they are having a good time.

On soccer day we played lots of games teaching the kids fundamentals and just getting them familiar with kicking the ball an managing it with their feet.

The kids have made their own soccer jerseys and baseball caps--decorated with their own design. Alosha is Kultajev 55 and Luka is luck #7.

Fun time with Friends

We had a get together with some of my former high school classmates and all of our kids. I think that the kids had a blast together playing in the water and hitting the pinata. The adults all chatted together about the past 10 years and where our lives have taken us thus far. Life's paths are so varied-it is amazing that even though we start out from the same spot, basically, we end up traveling in so many different directions and ultimately we end up all back together again. I don't think I have been very good at it, but it has always been important for me to keep up with any friends I have made at different points of my life. I think it is important to have good people around you and to be a good person yourself-the only way to keep good people around you is to keep the good friends you have made along the way. Anyway, it was a fun evening!

Roma dressed up as the "Hula-Monster" to get the kids while they were searching for the pinata. Luka was really afraid and didn't join in the search-although he realized it was papa dressed up he wasn't sure about the game.

The kids made their own ice cream in ziploc bags. It was a great success! It just takes one cup of cream with 2 table spoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Put all the ingredients in a small bag and put that in a large bag with ice and salt and viola- after 5-10 minutes of shaking you have ice cream! Add in M&M's and you have happy children!

Our table of food--we had almost 40 hot dogs and about 20 sausages along with cabbage salad and grape salad, watermelon and cantaloupe...EVERYTHING was devoured!

Jacob, Justin's son, helped cook the 'dogs. He did a wonderful job.

The swimming pool turned into a swamp after the kids jumped in and out a million times. But they enjoyed it and it survived.

Slip N' Slide fun again.

Boys and their beer!

Niki and the Scooter Riders

Niki is our smiler--most of the time
I took a scooter ride with Alyosha and Luka...it was Niki's first time in a stroller, I felt very light walking around without him strapped to my chest-but I missed him a little.

I think that he likes it; look at him checking out his toes--he realized his fingers too; he just stares in amazement at the fingers upon his hands

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Только сейчас начинаем чувствовать, что минивэн используется по назначению.