White jacket anyone?

After two days without school and the usual routine, Monday hit the boys like a ton of bricks. Both of them found it hard to settle in, and they struggled to get back into sync. Only when I gave them both the same worksheet to do, did they get back to their normally eager demeanor. The page – a project really - was too easy for Skip, and a bit challenging for Harry, but in the end, they both enjoyed themselves. The page consisted of 5 fish and a large fishbowl. Each fish had a number, and required coloring. Each boy colored their five fish, and we practiced counting (for Harry’s benefit) while we waited for both of them to be done. The next step was to cut the fish out. Harry loved that idea, but had NO clue to cut! I was actually surprised, but showed him how. The first fish cut cut in half J, the second he did better, the third, better still. He wanted me to cut the last two, which I did. We then colored the fishbowls, and finally, they got to paste the fish inside the bowl. Although this wasn’t challenging for Skip he enjoyed it – and made a point of pasting one fish at the top of the bowl – outside the water. “It’s trying to jump out and be free – like Nemo”. Hey, works for me.

Harry was thrilled to paste - by himself. He carefully applied the glue stick, then stuck each one onto the fishbowl. He really liked that, and then wanted to do more cutting. He found a worksheet with a large circle, and asked if he could cut it out. (At least I think that is what he asked me!) and then proceeded to do an excellent job of cutting the circle, and then coloring it. And so, by the end of our session, they were both back into “learn” mode.

After lunch and rest time, I took them outside to play. We took the wooden sled that Irina let us borrow, and walked to the two slides they like so much. When we got there, there we three girls – 10 & 11, talking and giggling. Once they heard us speaking English they began to whisper, in the way girls this age do. Eventually I asked them if they spoke English. Without hesitation, all three said “No”, then laughed nervously. As I suspected – since most kids here choose English as their required second language in school, they did speak some. The youngest spoke the best, and acted as the ambassador for all three. They’d confer, then she’d attempt to ask us questions: “What is your name”, “I am Russia (not Russian), where you are from?” “How much they (Skip & Harry) are?” “What you like to do in Weenter?” “Sun shine much in summer in A-may-reeca?” One after another, they’d fill me on what they did/liked/had, then ask about us. At one point the younger on, Vera, ran over to her backpack and brought me her 4th grade English school book. (I was impressed with the difficulty level of the book!) Excitedly she thumbed through the pages pointed to pictures and asking questions. She was very cute, and eager to learn about the USA. In between asking questions and making statements “I love to dance”, “My favorite color, pink” they played with Skip & Harry, or took turns going down the slide with them. Eventually, Vera looked at her cell phone (ALL the kids here – even as young as 7, have cell phones!) and announced that she was late and had to go home. We too packed our plastic sleds back up and started towards the market for milk & tomatoes before heading back to the apartment.

The boys watched Alvin & the Chipmunks on the computer, and then we played with foam blocks – building “castles” then knocking them down with their remote control cars. It was soup for dinner (no broth for Harry because “ne loo-bloo soup”, and then it was more blocks. And then, without warning, just like when my internet access card runs out while I’m in the middle of uploading some pictures, or posting a long entry here on the blog, the atmosphere here went from mellow to an insane asylum. No naps today, and all of sudden they were both just whining, fighting, crying, screaming, hording toys, you name it. At one point they were both crying and I have no idea why. They melted before my eyes. Mike called to talk to them unfortunately, about an hour too late, right smack in the middle of it. They miss him, and he them, but both were too busy whining, and throwing blocks at each other to enjoy their one-on-one talk with him. It didn’t get much better until I FINALLY got them to bed.

A night like this is truly the exception thusfar, but, draining nonetheless. While I miss
Mike constantly – a night like this makes me miss him more. We are each other’s strength when we need it. When one is burnt out – the other instinctively takes over.
The funny thing is, as emotionally difficult as these times are, when I kiss these two boys goodnight again before I go to sleep, I will not remember the meltdowns or the fighting. I will smile at the way they are both curled up in the same position – one clutching a dog, the other a cat. I will just remember the funny things they said, and did, and I’ll be grateful they are together. Driving me crazy, together, but together!

First the coloring,

then the cutting,

and finally, pasting.

Eager to destroy the foam castle...

and then starting all over again.