merry christmas

Ben a little busy recently, Christmas season is a little longer for us. We have our christmas on the 25th then Ukranians celebrate christmas on the seventh and then when we come back to the states we will be celebrating with our family. The kids are overjoyed.

one false move! We have been trying to train the cat, the kids are more then happy to help out. They are very strict.
Benjamin has a the cardboard from the inside of a roll of toilet paper. Many of you have probably heard the story about Andrew when he did something simular, you would have to hear the story to appreciate the photo
Family tradition, that Benjamin is kind of starting to get into a little. He found quite a few of the pieces himself.
That is gorgous! I can brag on myself without feeling bad at all. Pie is NOT my thing.
The kids painted picture frames and decorated their own photo for a gift for Daddy.
This is a 'spaceship', it doesn't look like one to me either, more like one of those old aluminum trailers. It is huge though, it is the size of a two man tent. It is just to bad our living room isn't a little bigger.
Andrew thinks my 'smoking wise men' are hilarious. They are actually insence burners, and they each have what looks like a bong, that goes in their mouth for a pipe. I don't know, can you smoke frankensince? I don't care, they were free!
    

Thats it

apparently this is our only picture from Christmas! I was pretty busy cooking I guess. The town is pretty when it is covered in snow. This is a picture of the outside of our apartment building pretty much identical to every other apartment building.

seeing double

This is our cat
But who's cat is this? Maybe a brother? Yesterday I opened the door and he marched right in like he owned the place. We put him back outside and he waited outside our door for two days for us to let him back in. I finally felt sorry for him and decided, I could take him and buy him some fish or something. Well we didn't get very far, and he decided he was uncomfortable with me holding him. So he ran away. It was just a few hundred feet from our door though. So he might come back. If he does I don't know what to do. The poor thing, is skinny, and has fleas. He is so pretty, but we can't have two cats, one causes enough mischief.

Mocha

Mocha had to have an opperation yesterday. She had what the vet called a tumor on her tail. Although a tumor in Russian can be a zit. It was just a ball about the size of a ping pong ball that she had developed. She had fleas and the vet said probably she bit herself, and developed an infection. She also had fungus on her back. After two baths and buying the drops to put on her back we seem to have finally conquered them. Then we got her a flea collar just for good measure. The vet gave her a series of shots to get rid of the fungus on her back. So she seems to be back to normal. One Ukranian remedy we learned for fleas is motor oil! Has anybody else ever heard of putting used motor oil on fleas? It was a little late when we were told about it, but two people told us the same thing. 

Momma said there'l be days like this

             Adele' had gone potty in her pants, again, and I was in the middle of cleaning up a broken bottle that had broken in a grocery bag and got sauce all over the groceries. Adele' was fussy,  probably because she was tired and hungry, and I barked at her. Andrew heard me, and he was in the middle of giving me a 'look' when Benjamin  spouted off the memory verse he has been learning in Sunday school 

             'but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control, against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23

              Nothing like having your five year old correct your attitude! The little booger, Andrew thought it was absolutly hilarious.

Just give it a good talking to

I didn't expect beating the rug to be our family activity for the day. But the kids had a blast! I was hoping beating it would get a little cleaner then vacuuming, It probably was but after we got it down, and dragged it through the dirt, it probably was a little worse then when we started!

Giving it all she's got! The thingy (beater, or whatever you would call that) was almost to big for Adele' to swing! She almost knocked herself down a couple of times. The weather was beautiful that day, we were a little warm in our sweatshirts! We enjoyed it while it lasted believe me. It has already cooled down considerably. No snow, but our turn will come!

Ain't we sweet

Ya, my life is mostly wrapped around my kids, but they are so fun! They have their moments true, but then they have these kind of moments, that make everything worthwhile. 

The saga continues

Benjamin has become quite concerned about his appearance recently. I am sure you can guess why. You wouldn't know it but it took him a half hour to accomplish this extremly stylish hairstyle, and he has asked for a years supply of hair gel for christmas.

In love

Benjamin has apparently found the love of his life. He drew her a very romantic picture of Alien heads and nightmare teeth, enclosed in an envelope with hearts and smiley faces. He definately has a way with the ladies!