Living in Putin's Backyard ~ Our Adventures in Mother Russia

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Don't Blink

Ya know, when I first heard this song in 2007/2008 I absolutely hated it and it became a running joke every time I walked into the detention camps for work. I seriously could not escape the song. Don't Blink by Kenny Chesney was one of top country songs in that year. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing it... Fast forward 9 years and as I'm driving my kids to school on their first day, this song comes on the radio. Coincidence, I think not. I almost changed the station but for whatever reason and really listened to it.

~ 1st Day of School ~

Seriously.... Don't Blink! 100 years really does and will go by faster than you think. And just like that, my babies are off to school. 1st grade, Kindergarten, and Preschool. Yes... We are welcoming our son in 2 very short weeks but it is a strange feeling to have the others gone and out of the house. For the longest time I had at least 2 kids in diapers at the same time and now I will have just one.

It is honestly amazing how fast the time is flying by before our eyes. Ashlynn is going to be 7 in a few months and it feels like yesterday that Will and I were in the hospital for her birth. Now she has 2 little brothers and soon to have a another one. Sure... being a parent of multiple children is tough. Hell... just being a parent is tough but it is such a beautiful ride and watching them grow so close together is truly magical.

Montgomery Elementary School's newest students

So fast forward to this morning when I dropped them all off at school on their first day. They were so excited and momma was a scatterbrained mess. Were they going to like their teacher? What if Ash got lost? What if something happens that only mom knows how to handle? These are serious issues people!!! I never thought I would be "That Parent" but today I was. I was so emotionally conflicted this morning. Mike had been going to school in Russia for the past year and a half, but this felt different. This solidified the fact he is school aged. Kids come and go in the International School so often that it never fully felt like a permanent "thing". He entered his Kindergarten classroom with such confidence and at that point I knew he was going to be fine. I didn't need to worry :-)

Navigating the hallways with CJ

Look at that smile ~ Yep, he's happy

Good Bye hugs from CJ

Ash on the other hand, unfortunately did not have the same experience in Russia that Mike did. Sakhalin International was extremely tough for her so she was home-schooled through Kindergarten and with the help of some super fabulous momma's in our expat community, Ash was totally socialized, had great friends, and had as much of a "normal" experience as possible. This was her first time in a real school setting. To say I was nervous about today is gross understatement. I was stressing out all day and trying to keep myself busy. Was her teacher going to understand? Is Ash going to be Ok? But she was so excited and sat right at her desk, began to color the morning assignment and settled right in. So for her it is "one day at a time". She came in the car after school and was still very excited about her day. She told me all the stories she read, the assignments she did in the best way she could explain. She even got a Super Star sticker in her conduct folder they send home everyday with the kids. So yes, one day at a time :-)

She looks so confident and I am so happy she was excited!

More Good Bye hugs from CJ

That's my girl! Star Student!!!

So today was a success. Hopefully tomorrow is just as great and they continue to love school. I am excited to see how they grow this year. Especially Ash. Being in a real school is so good for her. I know not everyday is going to be this good. I know there will be some mountains to cross but together we will overcome them :-)

Here's to a fantastic start to a great year!

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Texas Rush Soccer Camp

Since we are going to be for some time while I have the baby, start the Visa process and medical clearance for Connor to move to Russia, we wanted the kids to be as "normal" as possible to make this easier on them. So we have put them in Fall sports. Ash is in gymnastics and working on getting her into Equestrian lessons while Mike is playing soccer for Texas Rush. We enrolled him into a week soccer camp before the season starts since he has had very little exposure to soccer.

It was evident that Mike was among the few in his age bracket that have never played before. Most of the other yr olds look like they have played since they learned to walk. It was impressive actually. All the fancy footwork on these small little kids!! He had two boys from South America in the camp and they were unbelievable.

First day and ALL smiles!! Coach was giving Mike a pep talk on his dribbling

Must have water Mom! It is HOT!!!

5yr old group with their coach

The sessions are an hour long with the first 25 minutes being technique based and focus on proper dribbles and ball control. The the rest of the time is scrimmage games of 4 on 4.

Mike does really well on defense and is not afraid to be aggressive and competitive, however, when he is on offense running down field with the ball be is not. He give it up without a fight. We need to work on that :-)

This little girl in the blue tank just ran circles around him. Hehe maybe he was afraid of her and that why he gave up so easily.

Mike had a ton of fight when going against this boy.

He was able to gain control of the ball for a short minute before losing it again.

Another little girl who gave Mike a run for his money :-)

He had control for a while on this run but she came in quick and took it from him

He had so much fun this past week. Can't wait for the season to start in September!

My Water Babies!

As challenging as this is with us being separated from Will while I finish out the rest of my pregnancy in the United States (5 more weeks), we have been keeping busy and trying to find normalcy in a temporary place. Good thing is even though, we do not have Will, we have my fabulous in-laws and it really makes things easier. We have not seen them in so long and the kids are thrilled that Cici and Papa are so close!!!

So what do you do on these super hot days??? POOL TIME!!!!! These little ones are serious water babies now. Ash and Mike are swimming by themselves with no floats and doing so well. CJ FINALLY decided to get in the pool and he likes it!!

Mike loves that his brother is swimming, however, Mike finds it convenient to grab CJ every now and if he needs a break :-)

Then there is this one.... She can hold her breath for so long, dives down to the bottom, collects all her rings and rods. She is loving this so so much!

So many smiles!

CJ LOVES wearing his goggles and going under water to watch Mike and Ash. My other kids really never did this. Ash would go under water at 3 but was not using goggles or looking for things and Mike had a serious distaste for getting his face wet. They have come such a long way.

"Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming"

Ah yes.... The ENDLESS competition!!!! Everything is a race with these guys. If your not first, SO MANY TEARS!!! Race to the kickboard.... and go!

Got water in your nose kid?

Kids also had a 2 week swim camp in July. It was very beneficial for CJ when he would participate :-)

The first two days he did very well. He did have a set of negotiations that needed to be met before he got into the pool but he and the instructor came to a compromise and CJ got in. He was loving this!!