A Russian Party

We have been in Russia for over 5 months and have attended a few parties, so I think I am able to comment on events in Russia.  First, I have to say that Russians really know how to throw a party.  There is always lots to eat and drink.  Lots to drink- this is Russia after all.  There is usually a DJ or a band.  There is always some type of entertainment, some type of show.  Once, Jesy and I saw acrobats and then a cabaret show.  On Friday night we saw a drumming group, and then there was a French looking clown surrounded by Russian dancers.  And to lead these festivities the Russians love to have an MC- a master of ceremonies.  These guys always have a microphone and they speak mostly in Russian.  I know they are not yelling at us, but if you have ever heard the Russian language spoken, you know what I mean.  It's just a loud language.  And when these MC's are up on the stage, speaking loudly in Russian, all I can ever think of is Rocky IV.  Do you remember the end of the movie, when Rocky is fighting Ivan the Russian or whatever his name was?  And the announcer is speaking to the crowd with a microphone in Russian?  Every time we go to a Russian party I have the feeling that Sylvester Stallone is about to run out in his American flag shorts and start boxing.  That was such a great movie, and I love that I get to relive it every time I go to a party.  And Stallone, on the off chance that you are reading this blog, if you ever want to come to a party here and run out in your shorts in the middle of it, please do so.  It would make my year.

I had to add this picture of Kathleen.  If you read my blog before Christmas you know that Kathleen dressed up as a bunny for her class Christmas show.  Here she is in all of her glory.  And if you have not had the pleasure of meeting Kathleen, the look on her face gives you an idea of what I am dealing with.  Kathleen and Amalie are 15 months apart and are great friends.  But like with any friend, you have to have horrible, pushing, smacking fights every so often.  Kathleen's newest thing is that when Amalie does something to her, she yells very loudly at Amalie "say you're sorry".  Amalie says she is sorry.  Kathleen then gets even louder- "SAY IT NICELY".  Life is never dull with Kathleen.
John is 3 months old and weighs over 6 kilos!  That's 13 pounds for us Americans.  After his hospitalization in November for bronchitis, this weight gain comes as a huge relief for me.  He is such a sweet baby.  He smiles all the time and loves to look at his siblings and watch all of their activities.  It's hard to feed him at times because he is so interested in what everyone else is doing.
Amalie continues to be my friendly ray of sunshine here in Moscow.  We got a progress report from her school this week and it was amazing.  She is the best in her class with letters and numbers.  She loves to participate and also works well on her own.  And most importantly to me, she loves school and the teachers love having her there.
Colin is super busy and continues to enjoy going to Anglo American.  He has Chess club on Mondays, Lego club on Thursdays, basketball on Saturdays, and First Communion Prep on Sundays.  In between all of that he tries to fit in time to walk down the street and go sledding with the neighborhood kids.  Colin has so much more freedom here in Moscow, and it makes me so happy to see him enjoying that freedom.  Life will be so different when we move back to the States!