What a difference a Year Makes

At this time last year we were getting ready to fly from Moscow to Kiev for a connecting flight to JFK after seeing our daughter for the 1st time. We ended up being stuck in the Kiev airport for 24 hours only to get home on a different airline on the 26th rather than Christmas evening. We arrived home about 30 hours later than expected.

This year Katerina is sleeping and we are anxious to see her reaction tomorrow morning when she sees that santa has come :) What a difference a year makes.

We are quite excited about this Christmas even though we know she is still a bit young. We think :) Santa has brought a piano, a drum, books, puzzles, clothes and other toys. She has expressed interest in all of the toys and instruments previously at other houses so we hope she likes them when they are hers too. That is if Santa brought these gifts :).

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it. And Happy New Year to all.

Living Room Rearranging

So we finally broke down and moved the living room around. Katerina was climbing up from the end table and sofa on to the picture window mantle. And every time she would hit her head on the large window (about 4 x 4), I just had visions of it shattering. I kept picking her up and putting her on the couch and saying "no" but it was getting nowhere with her. She thought it was a game and would laugh. It was cute but we feared the worst so we rearranged the living room. Now the worst case is she falls on her head from a couple of feet up rather than through a large window.

Well it seems better in my head anyway.

Another positive is now our christmas tree will look very pretty from outside in front of the large window.

Tid Bits from the week

* Katerina received four shots this week including her first of two flu shots. After her first vaccination run, she ran a very high fever so we expected the worst after the last one and this one. Nothing at all. I hate watching her get shots and cry but obviously it's for her best. She also got a xylophone as her toy for this set of shots.

* I get a bit disappointed when people do not say "hi" back to Katerina at the mall or when we are out. She is a very outgoing little girl. She says "hi" to just about anyone. When people do not hear that is one thing. But when they do and ignore it, I feel kind of sad for Katerina.

* We got to play outside today as the weather was so nice. Into the 60s which was needed for me. I had been a bit ill this past week so I needed the fresh air. Katerina loved going for a ride in her wagon and playing on the slide.

* We are preparing for Christmas which will be very big. While Katerina will only be 22 months old, and next year's will probably be cooler for her, but her first with us will be big nonetheless. Lots of books, puzzles, toys, etc. Our little girl will be spoiled for at least a little while (probably much longer than that by her dad).

* This would make a few of my friends happy from my past job at the American Hockey League. While watching the Bruins lose in a shoot out to the Blues, Kelly decided she would be okay with Katerina playing Hockey. I shudder at living the hockey parent life style. Maybe we will stick to soccer ha ha!

Happy Christmas Eve & Merry Christmas to all!

I am not sure how much blogging I will get to tomorrow as we prepare to leave early Friday morning.

If I were one of my many nieces or nephews, I think I would be using the old adage "It is Christmas Eve somewhere." This year they can a little more precise and say that "It is Christmas Eve where Uncle Craig and Auntie Kelly are now." I'd be pushing to open a present now as it is Christmas eve here in Moscow.

So I wanted to take the time to thank you all and say I hope you have a happy & safe Christmas Eve and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! We look forward to speaking with many of you when we return Christmas night.

The Time Has Come

We are all packed and just waiting for tomorrow. We are now just days away from seeing our little girl. I think about it and it brings a big smile and near tears to my eyes. The time is really here.

Please keep an eye on the blog as we will be updating it from Moscow when we get a chance. We will be unable to post any of the many pictures we take of our little gal but we will be posting other pictures, from all over Moscow, when we get a chance.

Merry Christmas to all those who we will not get to speak to in the next week. But we could think of no better way to spend the time leading up to Christmas than with Katerina.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

12 hours of flying to get to Katerina and Moscow....Here we come!!!!

A Few Days Since My Last Post

Had Christmas at my mom's with my siblings today. Yesterday, we were shopping to get things we need for the upcoming trip.

Tomorrow is the big day. We have a telephone conference scheduled to discuss our itinerary in Moscow. I also meet with a gal from the Vet to discuss taking care of our cats, fish and rabbit while we are gone. A lot of responsibility there. Both to the gal taking care of them and to me. Kelly would be quite upset if something happened to them.

Will have a longer post tomorrow night I suspect. We are still excited about seeing Moscow around Christmas time. We will be braving the cold to see red Square at Christmas time.

Seeing our little girl on Christmas

It is still up in the air but there is a decent chance we will be in Moscow seeing our little girl on Christmas. What a great present for us! We had to finagle to find coverage for Kelly but it worked out in the end. Now let's hope our agency can make it happen.