"Eta My Spoon," and other things

I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately, but here's one from last week of the woods next to the house. I love this spot because it looks so ancient. Like an "elven hall" or something from Lothlorien. The trees are in two straight lines just like Miss Clavell's schoolgirls...I think there must have been a road there at one time. There is even a ring of stumps there that the kids set up to play with, so it looks like the elves have totally been there.

My tummy hurts. I've been sick, and I'm showing improvement, but I just have this insistent urge to moan and groan. I need to go shower, eat something, and wash my germy blankets, but every movement is painful and I don't want to get out of bed. Urgh.

That said, it has been nice not to be able to do much. I've just been catching up on internet for a while. The hours are just passing in a surreal kind of way. After being in bed all day yesterday, I thought I wouldn't be ready to sleep till late last night. But when after I showered and sat in bed to read around eight, I kept nodding off until finally I woke up around midnight with the light still on and my teeth quite unbrushed. And I didn't have any trouble sleeping in a long time this morning. God is gracious to me. He's giving me rest. I wouldn't have asked for it this way, but it's welcome. I don't know how I'll return to normal life. I feel like I'm never going to move again. But I will. I'm sure I will. I kind of miss everyone. They seem to be avoiding me like I had germs or something...

I was just thinking about some of the cute things the kids have been saying. It's really fun to hear them picking up some Russian, even Clark. The boys have these little toy cars they drive around the house, and they've learned that the Russian word for car is "masheena." (More or less) So it shouldn't have been surprising, but it sure was cute when we heard Clark, upset over someone meddling with his toy, yelling, "Don't touch my masheena!"

Then at the supper table one night, he said "Eta my spoon!" "(It's my spoon!)

Living in Ukraine has an effect on the way the kids play, too, not just on how they talk. Around the time the container arrived, we overheard them playing their own madeup game..."Here, Tucker, this is our container. Put your car in it we'll get a stamp for it." Or things to that effect.