Amelia’s cute cousin Sarah had so many Christmas dresses, she sent one all the way here to Amelia.  Thank you Sarah and Aunt Heidi!  We got it after church on the Sunday before Christmas, so Amelia wore it this past Sunday with a picture in front of the Christmas tree for documentation, to go along with my sister’s documentation of Sarah’s dresses.

I don’t know the history of the dress, but here it is on Amelia!  She is wearing a Christmas bear hair holder given to her by Aunt Bobbi.  We got the picture before she insisted on wearing a blue bow in her hair.  This girl LOVES blue!

Amelia | 2 Comments »

On Christmas Eve we acted out the first Christmas.  Kathryn was Mary, she even helped make some hay to put in the manger, and her doll was baby Jesus.  Darryl played Joseph, he’s really the only option since he is the only male in the house. 

Amelia was the angel, and she is just so cute!  We used the “program” from the Family Home Evening manual that my mom used for our Christmas Eve’s for years and years.  I asked the girls ahead of time what songs they wanted to sing, so we included “Picture a Christmas”, “The Shepherd’s Carol”, and the primary songbook version of “Away in a Manger”.  Amelia was a great angel, as she was very into the songs, holding her songbook up and singing like an angel.

I was shepherd, at Kathryn’s request.  It was a wonderful night, and I tried to just enjoy it as a family Christmas memory.

Family | 2 Comments »

Our branch had a talent show earlier this month.  It was a great activity, with lots of entertainment.  Kathryn and Amelia liked clapping after each act, and were pretty well entertained for the entire show.  The promise of ice cream afterwards also helped.  Here are several pictures from the event.

Below is the mission president and his family doing a really cool talent:  playing a song by hitting various sized wrapping paper tubes on their heads.

Then here I am with my orange hair.  I played in a trio.  Sister Olsen is playing my viola, isn’t it beautiful?  I was on the violin.  I’ve now played in the talent show and in Sacrament Meeting, but both times on the violin and not my new viola.  Next time I will make sure I am the one playing the viola!

Kathryn and Amelia recited a Snowman poem, which was really cute.  I didn’t know if Kathryn would really go up in front of everyone, or actually say the poem.  But she did!  I was so proud.  Unfortunately, the video Darryl took is sideways, and we haven’t figured out how to fix that yet.  But any Harrisons will see another performance in “The Best Christmas Eve Program Ever” video.  Hopefully we can get the talent show video up soon.  Instead, I put this other picture of the girls in.  This is them sitting at a little table for dinner.

Family | 1 Comment »

Amanda has had a tough few days.  Perhaps it’s a full moon.  Perhaps it’s the extra sugar coursing through our girls veins (though on BBC last night, they proved that sugar does NOT make kids hyper).   I suspect that her days are usually like this and I just happened to call at the “right” time this week.  These are a few of the things I heard over the last couple of days:

“Kathryn, yes, I know Amelia drew on my arm.”

“Amelia, I told you not to put that in your mouth.”

“Aw…now there’s milk all over the floor.”

(We had a little party last week and had some left over chips.  Apparently the girls have been wanting them all week, because I overheard)…”Oh, you want a snack Amelia?  Do you want crackers,,,uh…milk…carrots?  Amelia responds: CHIIIPPPPS!  Amanda continues: Chips?  Oh noooo, I’ve created a monster!  I hear Amelia in the background:  Chips.  Chips.  Chips.  Chips.  Chips….

(On another day): “After you write your name, I’ll give you a LOOONG chip….<pause>.  I though that WAS a long one.  Oh, I’m sorry.  I guess they’re all broken…..hmmm….Is THIS a long one?”

 ”Amelia just loves these pens….no, no…and just DREW on the chair!  Amelia nap time.  OK fine, just read a book.”

But the best (or worst) was this one (I’m talking to Kathryn and hear a loud THUD in the background):

“Aahhh!  There’s blood everywhere!  I told you not to jump on the bed!   Why don’t you girls listen to me?  Kathryn, tell Daddy to get home as soon as possible!” (Amelia had jumped partly off the bed and cut her lip).

Family | 5 Comments »

I was going to wait until after the baby is born to tell my adventures, but I figured labor and delivery would be enough of an adventure that I could write some other things before that.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to sign the contract and pay for the labor and delivery.  Yes, we have to pay before the actual delivery, and I had to sign a contract.  I didn’t really want to sign that I had no reservations about their medical care, but I also don’t want a home birth.  I signed my name more times than when we purchased our home.  On every page of the contract, both the English translation part and the Russian part, which means twice on every page.  Then two copies of the contract.  It was kind of fun to take bundles of cash to the hospital, rubberbanded together in groups of thousands. 

Not fun is feeling really stupid because I can’t communicate with most people there.  At least at the American Medical Center (AMC) all the employees speak English.  The day before I had gone for several tests – they required it before signing the contract, even though I had had all of these tests done at the AMC already.  I just went wherever led me, but come to find out on Thursday one of the tests hadn’t gotten done.  How was I supposed to know?  Its a little humorous, except for the fact that getting to this hospital is a major trial.  Another thing I was told is that if Darryl happens to be coughing or sneezing when I am in labor, he cannot come into the delivery room.  I’m trying to think how I will handle that, should the situation arise.  I don’t want to make a scene like an “Ugly American”, but the thought of not having Darryl there might be worse.

Amanda, Kyiv Adventures | 2 Comments »

Kids are so clever.  Kathryn is really starting to use her imagination.  One day she used a spatula all day for her violin.  Yesterday this box was a boat.  They had a great time rowing the boat, and of course putting all the stuffed animals in the boat.  Santa even got in the boat!

Amelia, Kathryn | 2 Comments »

Thursday night when I went to do the dishes (by hand, of course, as we have no dishwasher) there was no hot water.  Not the worst thing.  But the next morning we still had no hot water.  We have something that heats water when this happens (which is not often), but that thing is broken. 

Friday night Darryl asked the building lady downstairs about the water.  She showed him a newspaper article that said the city turned off hot water in many areas to fix something, and it was unknown how long it would need to be off. 

So coming from the faucet was not just water that is not hot.  It was ice cold!  We were thinking this could last quite awhile, but luckily on Sunday night the hot water came back!  We only had to heat water on the stove a couple times for baths and dishes.  Still, I think we’ll try to get our water heater thing fixed as soon as possible.

Kyiv Adventures | 4 Comments »

I made apple pie for the first time on Thanksgiving.  We actually celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday, since Darryl had to work Thursday.  A family in our branch invited us over for Saturday, since their children had school on Thursday.  So on Thursday, in honor of Thanksgiving, I made an apple pie. 

We’d had an enrichment a few weeks earlier where someone taught us about making apple pie.  Everyone was talking about how they love pie, and how they do their crust, and such and such.  Most people know that I am not a fan of cooked fruit, so that kind of means that pie is not my thing.  I’ve made a couple of strawberry pies (fruesh fruit, of course), and a chocolate cream pie last year for Darryl’s birthday.  Of course there are lemon meringue pies, and cream pies and such.  But it seems that “pie people” really like cooked fruit in their pie.  So I had never made an apple pie, or any cooked fruit kind of pie.  And I’ve only forced myself to eat them a few times.

But Darryl loves pie, and I thought since I learned about making apple pie, I should make one for him.  He did say that peach pie is his favorite, so perhaps next summer I will attempt that.  Of all the cooked fruit out there, apple is the one that I can handle in moderation.  Probably because we had apple trees growing up and so my mom made lots of apple pies and sometimes I didn’t want to miss out on a treat so I would try to eat some.  And now that I am a mature adult, I am starting to come around to cooked apple things.  Sometimes.

So this is getting really long, but I still need to finish my apple pie story.  People that make pie crust make it look so easy.  I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me, but I saw a picture of this pressed down edge instead of a decorated bumpy thing, which I  always saw my mom do.  It of course doesn’t look perfect, or as nice as Amanda’s cherry pie, but I was pleased.

Now when it comes to eating apple pie, I have come to realize that not everyone does it the way I was taught to.  Which is warm, and with ice cream.  The warm part, well, the only thing worse than cooked fruit is cold cooked fruit.  And anything is better with ice cream, right? 

So back to my apple pie.  I made it, but I wasn’t sure how it would taste.  After the girls went to bed (not that I don’t want them to like apple pie, but Darryl got home from work late and I wanted him to see the finished product before it was cut up).  Well, it was DELICIOUS!!  It was warm, of course, and with ice cream.  But I daresay I could have eaten a piece even without ice cream.  Darryl even said it was yummy.  I’m quite excited at the success.  Perhaps I will make another apple pie next fall.

Amanda | 2 Comments »

This is for my sister, Heidi.  She may not remember this, but I think about it all the time.  Once before I was married and had children, I was visiting and was enamored with her two darling little girls.  I said something like, “They are so cute, how do you stand it everyday?”  Heid smiled politely and said, “Sometimes I can’t,” and laughed.

Well, Heidi, now I get it!  Sometimes they are just so cute I can’t stand it.  Like yesterday morning they were dancing around to Abba songs, and when Amelia also wanted to dress up like a bride so I pinned a blanket around her and she got so excited.  But most of the rest of the time, well, sometimes I can hardly stand it!! 

Lately, though, I am trying (and its going pretty well) to recognize and enjoy the really cute moments.

Family | 1 Comment »

I have a favorite cereal here, that we have only found at one store – Megamarket.  Incidentally, on an episode of “Monk”, there is a store called “Megamarket”, which I think is hilarious because it is a fake name, but here we really have that store.  We also have Citycom, and the logo looks exactly like Circuit City.

Anyway, it is a granola-y cereal, and so much better than the cheerios and cornflakes that the other members of the household eat.  However, it is not cheap.  And prices have really gone up here in recent months.  There was 30% inflation in a year.  Our bread went from 1.40 to 2.50.  A ride on the metro or bus went to .50 to 2.00.  Of course these are still quite cheap (and good thing), but just examples.  The cereal went from 11 to 17, and I decided I just couldn’t buy it anymore.

True love to the rescue!  Darryl decided to make granola, and made several batches so that he could match the taste of my cereal – it has coconut in it.  Last week he achieved the perfect taste.  Now that’s true love.  I never would have thought to just make my own granola, or would have been able to tweak the recipe to find the right taste.

Family | 2 Comments »