Saturday, December 11, 2010

The end of fall

The posts after this represent winter because we basically started snow cover from the beginning of December!



David had his group friend Jonas over to visit one Monday afternoon when there were not activities going on at the school. Erik played with him too, since Erik is used to the younger group joining his group in the afternoons. Both Erik and Jonas play soccer/football on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.



We participated in the usual "Thanksgiving" events with LCC community members... a few of us kept the tradition alive to go to the only American restaurant in town on Thanksgiving Day, after work- McDonalds. And then we had the real meal on Saturday. I roasted one of the turkey's this year for the feast so I was up early and a little on edge for the day since I had not roasted a turkey in quite a few years!

Family Day 2010






we approached family day in a similar way as in prior years, and got balloons, cake and gifts for our celebration. We had wanted to view pictures of them when they first came to visit us, but there was not time for everything. So we did that a week later. The boys enjoyed those pictures, reviving distant memories - more of their emotional state at the time than an events that were pictured there. They curled up on our laps and did the same sounds they used to communicate with.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

catching up





It was time to travel again...

We got to a retreat center in Czech republic for the end of October break.



A Real Ski lift ride and visit to the top of a mountain where there was snow- not skiing weather yet though.




We enjoyed a different pace and time with other missionary families. The ropes course we found was not really open but the "low" ropes we could do ourselves. We spent our free day away with the Wert family which includes Brennan who is the closest to our boys' age.









On our way out to our Czech Republic stay for the EMM retreat we had a day in Vilnius. A stop first at Berneliu Uzeiga and then on the the TV tower. The boys enjoyed the outside more than the view from inside.





Sharon's birthday was celebrated later, as Gregg's had been by one week.
David had a class play that we sent to see and some activities in their rooms got into the pictures :)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Post-conference



Gregg with the tech team in the back of the conference room

International mix of volunteers for conference included LCC students

Unlike most posts this will not be about the boys.
Except to say that they managed pretty well with less of our attention than usual while we were both absorbed last week in the global leadership summit- Klaipeda. LCC hosted it along with Klaipeda City church with volunteers helping from the gospel church and a Catholic parish. It was truly an amazing event, surprising us all in the way it all came together and in the wonderful atmosphere among people.

The boys had some babysitters and went to a favorite friend's house they had not been to for a long time.


And when we all recovered for the weekend, then it was time to celebrate the birthdays that we basically had to overlook last week too- those were also Gregg and my birthdays.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

pasakos be galo - unending fairy tales

This week Erik was learning such little stories that go for a line or two and then repeat from the beginning. I had not really known of this literary style. But it is quite common for Lithuanian children to learn these funny stories. By memory.

Then the teacher told him he is supposed to learn one or make one up for the class. He told me about it and I did not really know what it was about. Friday the teacher told me I am to help him learn one over the weekend.

Fortunately you can find these on the internet. Nice to know through Grazina who stayed a couple of nights with us.

So he is learning a little story that goes: A rabbit was running through the forest, bump he hit a tree, he layed there, he got up and the rabbit was runnign through the forest...

Otherwise Gregg and I are gearing up for the first Global Leadership Summit to be held at LCC. people from all over Lithuania are coming and it will be quite a large production.

It also takes some organizing to schedule where the boys will be during those days when we are basically all absorbed.

We are having changeable weather- windy, cold, sunny, a little warm, but over all cold enough for the city to turn on heat in a couple of days- earlier than usual for the fall.
(But we have our own control on heat by natural gas- lucky us!)

We had an outdoor experience at Mc Donald's a couple of weeks ago...


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Spirit and body

After great-grandma's funeral this summer, the idea of death was a little more understandable for Erik. The body stays there. The spirit goes on to heaven. So recently he asked, again about what happens to you when you die. And then followed with some more thoughtful questions... Do we see God when we go to heaven? but if we don't have a body, how will we see God? And if we don't have a body and brain, how will we remember people when we get to heaven?

(Some of these questions I have never thought of quite honestly. Then I remembered of course that we get a new body and that Spirit can communicate with spirit. And somehow Erik seems to be able to understand this at 6 1/2)

In other news:
Erik is being invited to a soccer team in town from what he said after the in school soccer practice the other day. Apparently he is showing some real talent, not a surprise though to us!

David is needing extra attention these days and occasional naps to deal with his behavior issues. The long day in school without nap and with structured activities from 3-5 PM seems to be bringing out resistive behaviors.

Both boys are improving in Lithuanian language beyond what they had last spring which is good to see. They often ask for evening stories from the Lithuanian language fairy tale book and that was not happening last spring. So, it seems this school is really jumpstarting their development in a number of ways.

Monday, October 4, 2010

"I'm not used to daddy"

From Wednesday of last week until Sunday evening Gregg was away in England observing the technicians behind the scenes of the global leadership summit in Bracknell, one of the premier sites for the summit in Europe. All this in preparation for the first ever summit in Lithuania- at LCC in 2 weeks.

This was the first for a long separation of Gregg from us, and the first for mommy to manage the boys for 5 days on her own. Granted 3 of those days included some time in school.

But, David had part days wednesday and Thursday because of signs of tiredness and difficulty coping with full structured days.

We did some special things, got some extra toys and they got to play at the Akropolis mall play area for a few hours. And it was actually surprising how well they could do- as long as I stayed vigilant and on top of any signs of trouble.

I also got to do a day away while they were in school- a 2 hour trip to Kaunas to a celebration of the Lithuanian physical therapist association where I was mentioned among others who have contributed to the establishment and training of the profession over the last 15 years. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed to remember that I taught the earliest seminars that they had back in 1996-97.
The trip was also a good time for reflection and time along with God!

The boys were aware of the days till Gregg would come back and yet they did not exactly bug me about it. I was expecting them to have more trouble keeping track of the time. On Sunday they knew that Gregg would be coming back. David seemed to be anticipating it but not with the craziiness that sometimes accompanies his waiting for something that never seems to come soon enough. He greeting daddy warmly when he arrived and was glad to spend time with him.

Erik on the other hand told me before daddy got back that he was not ready for daddy to come back and that he was not used to daddy, he just wanted to be with mommy. Granted he had started to swing back toward wanting mommy around all the time before daddy left. But this is the same kind of initial wall that he has given me too when I am away over night. The wall did not come down this time until the morning, though.

By tonight both were quite happy to absorb all of daddy's attention.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

flexible weather

Today will be rainy again. Throughout September the weather changed -sometimes rainy and cool, and then warm and sunny- not really above room temperature. Figuring out how to dress takes careful attention to weather forecasts and carrying an umbrella anyway just in case.

Some of our warmer days gave opportunities for some outdoor activities worth capturing in pictures:










and then there was Ieva's birthday party on an Indian summer day.