Fun in the sun AND the rain

Happy Birthday Crystal!!! Hope you had a great 21st birthday.

Visits with boys today went well again. Babushka is getting a little worn out I think. We took a taxi to the internet cafe this time. Both the boys really interact well with her and she with them. I'm really glad to see that they enjoy her company. I'm sure they will just be thrilled to play with all the shells she has at her apartment (after they have ransacked the rest of the house of course) and will love the ocean and the beach with no broken glass, beer bottle parts and cigarette containers. Should be very interesting. Not sure we will all fit now that we are 5-8 people depending on the time of year. Perhaps the kids could stay at babushka's and Rob and I will stay at the Ritz down the street. Hmmmmm. No, scratch that, we'll be too poor by then.

Vanya had fun today on the playground with the merry go round. Not sure if that is what you call it but it's the thing that goes arund in cirles and you push it and then jump on. Babushka opted for sitting in the middle of it instead but my oh-so-mighty 3 year old decided he wanted to push it as fast as possible and then try to jump on. That was comical from all sides. Mama, of course, slowed it down while looking like I was helping and then caught one very scared little boy when he found out how difficult it was to step onto something that moving. We masters it going very slow and he was then quite proud of himself and babushka hasn't been the same since. Noooo just kidding, she was fine and did better than I did with the whole going around in circles thing. I only made it about 2 revolutions and that was it for me. Vanya finally figured out that it was much more comfortable to sit on babushka's lap in the middle than it was to try to standup and hold on and occasionaly bang your head while trying to get to the next section over. What a kid. He also got a kick out of watching 2 of the ladies dig up a few tiles near the shelter we were playing in and put them in a baby carriage and take them somewhere. When they lifted the first big tile (probably 18X18) there were so many ants under it that the lady starting hitting them with a shovel to keep them from crawling all over them while putting the tile in the carriage. Of course Vanya wanted to try that as well with no luck. After they hollered at him for asking to use the shovel he wasn't much interested in that anymore.
Even though it may sound kind of weird I think my favorite time is when he is sitting on his pot right before we wash hands and say "paka". The way he looks at me and puts his little hands on mine and smiles just makes my day. It makes me forget how much of a pill he can be at times. Mama is still working on being tough and Vanya is getting used to knowing when I mean business and that laughing will not get you out of anything. His laugh is contagious though and it really takes alot not to just scoop him up and laugh with him but at the same time I don't want him get into real trouble or drive us nuts because we didn't teach him to listen.

Today was an iteresting day at Yuri's as well. Igor was with us so many of the kids were happy to see him. Yuri also got to talk toPapa on the phone and had a big smile on his face. He felt very important to be talking on the cell phone Papa told me that he told Yuri to have me get him some ice cream. Thanks alot Papa. We started out on the dirt-glass-weed-trash field for a while and then I took Yuri to the store to get some snacks for him and all the other kids that gather around. When he knew he wasn't getting the 2 liter Coke that he wanted, and in fact wasn't even getting the 1 liter one, he got upset. He's my sensitive one, so when I say he got upset it means that he was quiet and looked like I had just beat him or something and then the tears started but he wiped them away quickly. One of the girls that was with us said something to him but he ignored her. When he saw that the tears weren't changing the result and that I was not upset with him he settled down and held my hand the rest of the time. We went to the river again and Yuri actually got in the water with Igor since Mama didn't wear her suit since it was raining when we headed out to see him. He got to ride on Igors back but still held on with the death grip. There were older kids who light fires all over the place and Yuri just loves to stand close and throw things in and play around it. I have started making him back up and not try to pull things out of the fire. I know he has been doing this for years and I don't seem to see any major burn marks on him but my mama instinks tell me it's just a matter of time and it's not going to happen on "my watch". He also got to spend some time with babushka drawing pictures. She just loved that. She drew a picture of the beach and he drew a water scene with a whale spouting fire. Yep still interested in the fire so he thought he would just incorporate it into his drawing. Igor and I were playing with some of the older kids but when I came up to see what they were doing he was trying to get my attention because he wanted to draw an airplane. He did just that and said "America". I think he might be a little excited now. What he wasn't thirlled about was my playing with the kids in his group when we came back to the shelter. He tried to push them away and then looked at me like"Hello, I'm the one you came here for!". He was also a little upset when I told him I wouldn't be back for 4 days. He held up one finger and said "one" and sighed. I tried to tell him I needed to go see Victor but wasn't sure he really got it. He was pretty bummed when I held up 4 fingers to his one. Again with the sad look, but he put his arms around me and said Paka (see you later) while looking very disappointed. I'm glad he will miss me but am sad too for him.

We will be off to see Victor for a few days out in teh middle of nowhere so I'm not sure when the next post will be. Rob may have to post via relayed phone message. I do hope we can find a decent place to stay there. I don't want to end up like one of the cows with the collar out on the front lawn. That seems to be all there is there. Igor will really be earning his money this time. I think he may have to request hazard pay for going to the orphanage with us. It's a really rough orphanage and all the kids are mean to each other and are very crude and crule toward the little people and everyone else who comes into contact with them. I'm looking forward to spending time with Victor but would really love to take him out of there and visit somewhere else. These kids are truly "the least of these" and have obviously not gotten any love or attention from anyone at any time. They have no concept of right or wrong and many of them have some mental or physical problems on top of that. Oh great joy! I will look forward to seeing the other little girl who gets picked on a lot and maybe I can make her life a little nicer even if it is only for a few days. I really hope our friend Sergey (12 years old) is there because he is a big help and chases the other mean kids away (even if one of them is his own brother) .
Rob is home now and I'm sure enjoying being on US soil once again. I would like to do the same at the first opportunity. I will (as I'm sure Rob did) leave a piece of me here that I will never forget but I will welcome my own bed in my own house that always has running water that is drinkable and people who understand me (aside from the ones I am bringing with me of course).
Lots of prayers needed for the next few day. Babushka has already asked for protection and we may need to sit her with the caregivers with a big stick and no money or snacks or toys. She would probably appreciate an air-conditioned armored suit as well. Sooo, if we survive the next few days I will continue to feel invinceable. I know the Lord will be my sheppard so I am expecting some still waters and green pastures. I know at least the pasture part will be there.
Love to all my family and friends. Keep the comments coming. I will try to post interesting information and pictures as often as possible.
Laura and the very tired but good sport Babushka