Polaroids and turtles

Right after Chritmas we went on vacation! We hadn’t been anywhere since Greece in the summer and  we were super excited to get away. Because of Covid, quarantines, a U.S. travel ban in Europe and limited flight options from Ukraine meant we settled on returning to Maldives. It may seem pretty fancy that we were returning to Maldvives for the second time in a year, but when in Rome, or in Covid that’s what happens. Our flight was paid for by our R&R flight. We couldn’t stay at the same place we stayed at for my birthday, we couldn’t all fit in a little hut, so we went to a new island. But first to get there we had a long trip! We had a layover in Dubai and then a local flight to a nearby island from the capital and then a boat to the island. It was a long trip and thankfully everyone was great the whole time!
It was definitely worth it! We woke up the next morning to this view out the window. 
We headed right out to explore. So many shells and hermit crabs and sea shells! The kids were in heaven! Especially this little nature boy who was about to turn 7!
We spent all day in the water, beach, pool and repeated it every day. It was exactly what all our souls needed. 
We quickly adapted to life on the island. Drinks by the pool were something all the kids quickly caught on to very quickly! 

Before we knew it, it was New Years. There was a big dinner at the buffet so we broke out our special clothes and headed to dinner. We made it to midnight and headed home just as the hotel put on a fireworks show. A pretty amazing way to bring in a new year, on a beauiful island all together with fireworks all around us in the sky. We all made resolutions, Adam’s was to brush his teeth more and Malcolm’s was to try new things. Both good goals!

Before we knew it it was Malcolm’s birthday! He will have a whole post just for this special boy. It is pretty amazing the places this boy has celebrated his birthdays, from his first birthday on a boat in Halong Bay in Vietnam to the Maldives for his seventh birthday and three countries in between. We woke up and opened some presents.
Then we headed to breakfast and of course hunted for hermit crabs on the way. 
We decided to go on a snorkeling trip to make his day extra special and it was amazig. Malcolm got into the water and snorkeled the whole time! We saw turtles and fish and had the best time. We met a lovely family from Switzerland with boys the same age and we hung out with them every day. They came wtih us on the snorkeling trip and it was great to hang out with them. 
Then is was back to our usual afternoon spot. Kids and adults all loved this pool with a swim up bar. 
We headed back to the room and they had decorated it for Malcolm’s birthday. He was so excited!
Our friends came over before dinner for cake and brought Malcolm some presents from the gift shop, a soccer ball and a turtle bracelet to remind him of the turtle we had seen snorkeling. It was so thoughtful and made his birthday even more special. 
We headed to dinner where the only picture taken was this one by Malcolm 
and this one of Malcolm and his perfect dinner, plain pasta, plain french friees and chicken nuggets!
They had bikes to ride and we took spins around the island. 
It was so much fun we decided to go on another longer snorkeling trip! This time we went out to a reef further out and saw a shark and a turtle.  Malcolm was out there with us the whole time again! I was so proud of him. 

Our friends from Urkaine arrived halfway through our trip! Their daugher Laura is in school with Miral and she was so happy to see her. It was so nice to have so many friends to hang out with and spend vacation with. We hardly ever vacation with friends and this wasn’t planned but worked out so well. 

We had sunny weather almost the whole time nut there was one day a storm rolled in. The boys were over their friend’s house and Miral and her friend Laura were at the little school they have.
Which meant we were stuck under the awning to wait out the storm and decided the best way to wait out the storm was with prosecco!
My favorite part of dinners there were letting the kids go off and explore the beach with their friends. They would take my phone and I would find all these pictures in the morning, so fun to see!
Another favorite of the trip was breakfast. Our kids love them a buffet breakfast! Especially one with chocolate croissants and pancakes. 
It was the sunny, relaxed week that we all needed and I am so happy we got to show the kids this beautiful country. 
For the trip home the first leg was a sea plane instead of a boat to a local plane, which was easier and quicker than the way here. It was our first time on a sea plane and such a cool experience! Perfect way to end a great trip. 
Malcolm took some awesome polaroids of the trip, which were an awesome reminder of all the good times we had!

Різдво

Christmas is my favorite time of year as you all  probably already know. We always have a party just us on Christmas Eve at home. It’s been a tradition for years now and it’s one of my favorites. We get dressed up, make hors-d’oeuvres (maybe one day I’ll learn how to spell that without google’s help) and spend the time together getting ready for Santa.  The kids write notes for him and we put cookies out and the kids head to bed. Randy and I finish all the snacks and wine while we get all the presents ready. It makes it feel more like a celebration when it’s done with snacks and wine. It’s one of my favorite nights of the year. 

This might be the last year all my kids believe in Santa so I wanted to soak it all in. Adam already started questioning Santa but we watched Polar express and broke out our bells early and saved Santa for this year. 
(We were out of carrots so we convinced the kids reindeer also love cucumbers, 
The next morning we woke up to a room full of presents. Like always the kids opened up their stockings but we all waited until after breakfast to open our presents. That way we know no gremlins will come out on Christmas day and Randy and I will have had coffee. We had french toast with fruit and lots of coffee since excitement meant we were all up early  
Then it was time for presents! We take turns opening presents which is nice because everyone gets to appreciate what others get and I get to take pictures. Of course this means I have to make sure everyone gets the same amount of presents, which is harder now that the boys are older. They got a nintendo switch and playstation games, all of which are more expensice than Miral’s My little ponies. But luckily they are all appreciative of what they got and were happy with all of their presents. 

Note to self- This snowglobe was a very bad idea for a flamingo loving four year old and broke into a million pieces shortly after. But regifting the easel and the tent the boys used to play years ago that had been in a closet for the last two years was genius. 

For dinner the bubble all headed to Nora’s house for a yummy dinner that was perfect. A great way to end Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas

Getting ready for Christmas is my favorite! I love every part of it. Decorating, Chistmas pajamas, gingerbread houses. I am all in. That’s one of the best parts of having children, I can get deep into Christmas and it only makes it better for everyone. I love seeing the children excited about Christmas and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.   

Can you tell whose gingerbread house is whose?
Did you guess?
Miral also had her school concert. They were singing Let it Go and Miral was super into it. This moment actually started her Frozen obession. We didn’t have an Elsa dress but my friend at work had a Snow White dress her daughter had outgrown that she gave me. Miral was super into it! And don’t worry, she was since gotten her Frozen dress. We watched on zoom and they were super cute. I miss the days when you could go in person, maybe next year!
This year we all got matching Christmas Pjs. Randy’s were too big so his had to go back. He was pretty torn up about it as you can imagine 😉
We broke out all the winter clothes and we had our first snowfall. It was just a sprinke but it was enough for snowballs. 
We even had time to watch Frozen for the first time. Miral was hooked!
Wintry runs in Kyiv are just as beautiful as the spring and summer runs!
The cold set in early this year and we broke out all the winter clothes. We went for short walks to see the Christmas decoration and then home for hot chocolate and Christmas decorating. 



Before we knew it, it was time to put the tree up! We broke out our Christmas sweaters and put on some Christmas music and loved every moment of it. 

This advent calendar is always a huge hit, every morning the kids would wake up excited to see what was inside. Before we knew it it was only three days to Christmas! 

Minecraft and caviar

How it happened that we have a nine year old I cannot even begin to wrap my head around. It seems like just a minute ago Adam was born and Randy and I were trying to figure out how they were going to let us take this little baby home from the hospital. Alot of kids had a hard time celebrating birthdays this year with Covid. We were lucky to have our bubble around. The bubble boys all came for cake and a party and Eli even slept over. It was not the big parties of the past but it was special and perfect in its own way. 
And because nine is a big one, the last single digit birthday for Adam and because I love me a good list here are 9 of the hundreds of reasons I love Adam. 
1. He gets excited about the little things, a cake, a small gift, a special moment and shows it with a huge smile and loads of excitement. I hope no matter how old he gets he never loses this trait. 
 
2. He LOOOVES to read. He always has a book in his hand. He even won the prize for having read the most books out of any kid in elementary school this year. His wonderful librarian Ms. Pam let him pick out two new books to keep as a reward. 
3. He has a big, sweet heart. He is empathetic and feels people’s emotions strongly. He is careful to not hurt people’s feelings and thinks of others. He thinks of others and even when his temper gets the better of him once he calms down and always apologizes for hurting anyone’s feelings. Pretty mature for nine years old. 
4. He is an amazing swimmer! He can outswim me and is getting close to being as good as Randy! He can swim far out in the ocean and dive down to the bottom. 
5. He is a packrat. As a very organized, tidy person this one has taken me some time to come to love. But I love that he collects things and keeps all the little things that are important to him. 

6. He is a cuddler. Even at 9 he still loves to cuddle and loves a good long goodnight with hugs and kisses. He is too old to hold my hand when crossing the street but when it’s just me and him he will come sit right by me and give me all the cuddles.  

7. He is open and quick to make new friends. He meets people all the time and right away considers them his best friends. He has room in his heart for everyone. 

8. Even as he gets older he loves his family and loves spending time with us. He loves playing games with us, going for walks and he still comes and cuddles and listens to the books we read before bedtime even if they are for younger kids.  

9. He is funny. He makes me laugh often and not a fake laugh to amuse your children laugh, a real belly laugh. Along with this I can lately see glimpses into the future when we will be able to have long, interesting conversations, where Adam will have a point of view and opinions and we can discuss all sorts of things. But in the meantime I want him to stay just as he is and make me laugh at dinner. 

To celebrate being nine Adam wanted a minecraft birthday. So that is what we had. We had an awesome minecraft cake from our favorite baker Olga, a minecraft pinata and lots of minecraft video gaming. 


The bubble boys!


The next morning to celebrate Adam’s actual birthday, we had a special breakfast and opened presents. The big present was a hoverboard. When in Covid you do what it takes. Needless to say it was a big hit! None of the adults can even get up on it but Adam is an expert. 
 
For dinner we all dressed up and went to our favorite restaurant. Well, with Covid the only restaurant is Che Ali so we had a fancy meal there. I was the waiter and Randy was the chef and everyone gave it 5 stars!

For an appetizer we had Adam’s favorite- caviar and my favorite- champagne. 

For the main – steak and french fries, Adam’s favorite!
And for dessert a special cake for our amazing nine year old. 



Thankful

Last Thanksgiving with Covid was hard on a lot of people. I am so grateful that we had our bubble to have Thanksgiving dinner with. I am grateful that during a time that was so hard on so many we had an amazing group of families to support us. We normally have a huge meal, but we stuck with our bubble and made it feel more special from all the other meals we’ve had together over the last year with special food and lots of flowers. And we threw in a Covid pinata to vent our frustrations on. 



The Ber months

When we lived in Manila, the start of the Ber months meant Christmas was coming and decorations started going up in September. I never understood this, but in Kyiv where sweaters and jackets are needed early in the Ber months it makes perfect sense. Looking back on our second and last fall in Kyiv, it was full of great moments, in large part due to the constant companionship and support from our bubble. It started getting cold out and we stopped eating out with Covid everywhere in Ukraine. Eventually we ended up in an open empty field building bonfires. Never in a million years did I think this is where I would be in November in Ukraine, but that is were we ended up and we all loved it. We were actually at the field around a fire when we found out Biden won the Presidential election after waiting over a week. It was a pretty amazing moment! Here are some of our Ber months in pictures.

Back to long sleeves and pants, still in need of a haircut 🙂 Covid meant long hair all the time. 

Breaking out the sweaters for fall!
Tooth fairy visits

Hanging out at the field with our favorites

Flowers to brighten up the cold 
Movie watching with friends
Haircuts finally by our friend Shadrach! 
Winter coats for the unicorn
Gamenight

Winter hats

One last dacha trip with our bubble before winter 

It started to get cold and our walks became shorter. 
Thankfully Randy made us warm thai meatball soups were eaten. 

Shishkin

I am going to desperately try to catch up on our lives because there is so much to share. Looking back at these pictures now is so nice. Almost a year ago we managed to sneak in another to trip before winter to Shishkin with our bubble. We rented houses and hung out outside, biking, barbequing, exploring outside and spending time together for one of the last sunny, not too cold weekends before Ukrainian winter set in. I sure do miss these weekends away with friends now that we have left Ukraine. It was a pretty special time when travel outside of Ukraine was still so limited because of Covid and our only time away was to dachas (small cabins) around Urkaine with our bubble. We all looked forward to these weekends so much.

We normally brought and cooked all our own food. One day for lunch we decided to order the kids ome pasta…here is the pasta with squid that came. Adam and Eli actually tried one! (it was soon spit out)

We also encountered a snake that had been run over that was a cause of great interest. Let’s call this group- the gross photo group….

Malcolm and his bff spent all weeeknd collecting bugs….

And we went on lots of bike rides

A ladybug, hiccup and a superhero

For Halloween we had big plans to get together outside with a bunch of other families and do a trunk or treat. We started preparing and went pumpkin picking. There was no patch in Kyiv, but there was an American expat who grows pumpkins on her farms and sells them in a parking lot. Bonus, they were cheap so we bough a lot! 


There was costume day at school! Malcolm’s costume hadn’t arrived yet but he was a great sport and used a batman costume we had. 
Adam’s hiccup costume came in time and he was excited to be a dragon tamer. 

Miral wanted to be Skye!

Even I got into the spirit at work this year. 


Miral of course decided to be a ladybug at the last minute instead, keeping up the tradition of my children who don’t wear the costume I buy them and wear an old costume instead. But she still looked cute so who cares!

Then Covid quarantine struck. One of the boy’s classmates got sick so we all locked down and had to skip the trunk and treat and seeing anyone, so we decided to have our own Halloween party. First up- make your mummy. 

Next up-bobbing for apples!

Then a dance off. All in all a pretty epic Halloween!

Don't feed the pets!

The weather started to get colder and we had to break out our coats. We also decided to spend as much time as we could outside before winter started.  

We headed to the zoo with friends before they all hibernated for the winter like we planned to do!

Popcorn and flamingos, Miral’s two favorite things together!
We headed up on the ferris wheel and it took all my strength to not let my American safety standards get in the way of enjoying the 80 foot view with no barriers or belts. No one was allowed to move and eventually we were on the ground again and I could breath. 
I may look happy, but this is what pure fear looks like. 

After our near death ferris wheel we decided why not put our heads in a crocodiles mouth. 

Three brave kids!

Then it was off to the petting zoo!

Then we fed these pets. 



Copok!

Covid birthdays are hard. They are even harder when it’s a big one, like 40. Randy celebrated his 40th birthday in September, 6 months into Covid and it was challenging to figure out how best to celebrate. In the regular pre-Covid world we could have done something special, like travel to Italy to wine taste, have a big party at a fun restaurant, organize a big family dinner at our favorite restaurant. But alas, with Covid these were all challenging.
With a birthday at the end of September in Ukraine we were not sure what the weather would be, but we decided (aka- I finally convinced Randy) to try to have a dinner with our bubble outside on a terrace at one of the nicest restaurants in Kyiv, Alaska. And fate was on our side, the weather was beautiful! It was the last good weather day which made his birthday even more special. 

When I booked, the restaurant told me there would be a big surprise for my husband. In my mind this was going to be a free drink or bottle of wine. I was not expecting the Madagascar cast to come out dancing. 

The next day was Randy’s actual birthday. We started the celebrations with caviar and champers, as one does in Ukraine.

Then we showed Randy his birthday video. I had asked all his friends from all over to send in a video and it was amazing how many people from all over sent the most amazing vides, some left me laughing, some crying and some amazed at all the people Randy has affected over his 40 years. 

Then we headed to one of the only outside restaurants still open and thankfully our favorite for a family dinner.