tough decisions... gotta make choices

It was quite a day... we had lots to do and the morning was perfect with tea cakes, OJ and pineapple. We practiced Oh That I Were An Angel for the church and it sounded really well. Then we went to a Canal St. If you don't know what it is... it is a place where one can get Rolex watches for, well, for less.
I didn't realize what I was getting myself into until we all were led down a street by some strange women who kept communicating on her cell phone and scanning the street with her dark eyes. She stopped at a light and told us to go forward. I got a bit scared simply because it felt funny and I didn't want to act like a.... someone who is about to buy drugs. We felt strength in numbers since there was three of us.
We finally got to a place. It had one front room and two secret rooms. My companions were led away downstairs. Sonia and I were left to wait our turn and ponder what we were about to do. Then we went into a room filled with fake Gucci, Coach, D&G.... purses, wallets etc.
Yes, I found a perfect black Gucci diaper bag. It was $40 plus lots of thoughts on legality of the purchase. I was so excited about it that when I walked out on the street and tried showing it to the rest of our gang, a Chinese women yelled at me with a very high pitched voice and made me tuck my illegal purchase back into a black plastic bag.
As if this was not enough... we proceeded in the same sort of manner. Yeah, we actually went to see Chicago on Broadway. We got tickets "accidently" since they were much cheaper and didn't give much thought to the fact that the theme was about wifes who killed their lovers. I thought I was going to fall through the face of the earth.... it was the most suggestive and provocative show I have seen in years. Outfits and skimpy dance movements took all pleasure out of the show. I have to say that singing was pretty good as long as you could keep your eyes shut. I simply couldn't last through the whole thing and suggested leaving.... thankfully we walked out.
Then I called Debbie. It is so good to have such a friend who can be there for you at all times and you can just ring and tell things as they are. Well, I felt really bad that I screwed up the day for everyone else and was sort of a party pooper. She told me it was okay.
We had a great dinner at Juniors and then Susan and Heather went to see Legally Blond. They just came back and said it was awesome. Next time we will check our shows a bit more carefully. But I do like my fake purse and maybe plan to get another one.

Today I used it for church and I loved it! It is a nice size, holds two bottles on the sides and matches my black McLaren perfectly. It also says made in Italy even though I know it is China ;-)

Here is an update on the purse... I finally got rid of it with Jeremy's help and lots of encouragement. ;-)

They are Here!!!!

Sonia and I were getting ready to host grandma Susan and aunt Heather. Well just all the little things around the house ;-) It took us almost whole day and Sonia was such a good sport taking all things out of all the closets. Their plane arrived in JFK a half an hour earlier because of the tail winds and they didn't even get lost on the way to our place. Sonia knew something was going on and she didn't take her second nap in great anticipation... she was ready to see her nana in the "I love grandma" shirt.

Jeremy called and told us he might has to work the whole weekend.... we decided to hope for the best since you never really know how work goes. However he sneakily left the office and we met at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn just before the crowds. We got to sit close to the real brick oven and observed the process of making pizzas. Nummy pizza! The two thin-crust pizzas surprisingly filled our four hungry tummies.

Heather rode New York subway for the first time and she was not even scared... well maybe just a tad since our destination could have been Harlem.

Then we took pictures with gorgeous Manhattan views and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night. The weather was mild and the wind was down so our walk was excellent.

Sonia didn't even fall asleep so when we got home she was ready to go to bed. Heather and Susan enjoyed the rest of the night at Time Squire.... by the way, they just got home amazingly without even getting lost on the subway.

I am from Big Apple... true or false

When we first came to Brooklyn, NY last fall everyone sounded sort of funny. I still can't understand half of what my baby sitter, Patsy says although she is from Caribbeans. Now I can understand most of everyone without having to decode every word, even our doormen sounds normal. Stepping off the airplane in Utah people sounded very Utish. I am kind of used to it since there is a big difference with CA. Then when I went to pick up Jeremy, he sounded so New Yorkish. But then we flew to San Diego and I had to adjust my ear again. If I fly to CA and take the test there, would my results change again?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
Boston
The South
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

By the way, Jeremiah got me completelly hooked up on taking these quizes and I need to clean my house!

Our New 19'' Window to the World

This morning we indulged ourselves with a pleasure of watching a three bears cartoon. Okay it wasn't any three bears from Disney or any French three bears. It was the Three Bears and Mashenka made in 1984 by Ekran in the Soviet Union. Yep, it is also an opera especially composed for the little ones. So Sonia listened and watched her first opera while sitting on our comfy queen size bed.

It is also one of the most artfully done with pencil drawings that is so pleasing to an eye in this computer graphic age.

Can it get any better? Yes, it can. Jeremy got us a new computer and it has a huge flat 19-inch-wide screen. Now we can watch treacherous Russian DVDs that can not be played on the regular DVR. Thank you, babulya Luda who is so thoughtful and helps us with these gems of art directly from Russia. Sonia will know some good Russian cartoons. It was a timely purchase too. I love using new comp for my blogging and news catching up activities.

You all are thinking now "How neat, Nadia is watching cartoons of her childhood, ".... well not exactly. It was my first time watching it as well. I grew up without TV (my mother believed TV watching prevents children from experiencing real life and reading books) so I missed a lot of Russian pop culture. Sonia, Jeremy and I are catching up right now ;-)

A lucky little Girl

Yesterday Sonia got a package from her great-grandparents in Salt Lake City. Thank you so very much for the wonderful outfits! They are very cute. I loved the little white dress and a darling pink summer outfit. Sonia had to try a busy-bee jacket right away. She loved it.

I watched her while she was unpacking and playing with her new clothes and thought that she is the luckiest ever. She has two grandmas, one grandpa, two great-grandmas and one gGreatpa. When I was her age, I was lucky to have one mother and she is so blessed to have a mother and a father and everyone else to love her.

Last February she got to meet a lot of her family. She met her babulya Luda, ggreatma and ggreatpa Lamb on our trip to Utah. Plus she got to see her aunt and uncle and second cousins and a third cousin too.

She also spend a day at her great-grandparents home and played pick-a-boo with ggrandpa and ggrandma.

Here she is with babulya at Park City ski resort. We were so lucky to have such a wonderful baby sitter ;-) and Sonia got to spand a whole day playing by the fire place with grandma.

We missed going down to St.George and seeing Gg Wilder. But Sonia already knows her because she gets cards from her on every occasion. Here is Sonia with her first Thanksgiving card from Gg Wilder.

We also flew to California and Sonia went with the whole Jones gang to the fish house Vera Cruse. It is becoming her favorite place to eat since you can not find more fresh fish than that. Plus she saw an eel and a shark in one tank. Sonia's grandma Jones was kind to do her hair and she made it perfect ;-) It was Sonia's first time ever but she didn't even cry because nana is so fun. Sonia is a little grandma's princess and an angel ;-)We are so excited this week because grandma Jones and aunt Heather are coming to visit us and they will stay for Sonia's first birthday. We can't wait till Friday ;-)

Happy Easter

Sonia in her flowery dress looked like a child of Spring. She was born in April and this is her second Easter. Our Mrs. Bunny finally got to meet strong and very affectionate Sonia's hugs and kisses. Don't worry, Mrs. Bunny is okay and will be back next Easter.

Busy Bunny Saturday

In the morning I found myself running up and down Flatbush Ave. trying to find Easter balloons. I was also thinking out loud rather non-flattering thoughts about life in New York. No balloons within four blocks since most shops were closed but everything else worked out just wonderfully. I got home and turned our living room into a Bunny land while Sonia and Jeremy hid patiently in the bedroom. We had bunny tracks leading to the big bunny. Sonia was so excited when she saw them. We had lots of eggs with little surprises and dark chocolates. A little wind-up truck, a book with two hundred stickers and a bath-time crayon amused our little one. Jeremy and Sonia discovered the art of drawing in the bath tub while I was busy in the kitchen. This is Sonia's first time holding a crayon. Jeremy loved his major shopping cart estravaganza gift that I acquired at the neighborhood hardware store. Every man commented on it on my way home. They thought I got the best one ;-) We feasted upon French toast with strawberries and bananas then went to the park on Underhill. Sonia didn't really want to share her eggy sidewalk chalks with anyone. She is usually so good at sharing but this was a new toy and she wanted to keep it to herself. Sonia got tired from all the fun and went to bed (she often takes her naps in the stroller, known here as a buggy or a carriage). We were on our way to Costco.

Can you imagine a trip to Costco without a car? Neither could I six months ago. That is why we used our new shopping cart to its full advantage one may say, it can only hold up to 250 lb. Jeremy said it passed the test with flour, wipes, oats and lots of other stuff. He got it up and down the subway steps, way too many steps. I took pictures for our kids. Dad is a tough guy! NO kidding...I am amazed at how strong Jeremy is. Later he told me it was like rowing excises. I kept laughing, it is a true New York experience that is not going to last too long, I hope. We'll have to get a car one day. "Maybe," says Jeremy ;-)

I made a dinner with tasty green salad and homemade blue cheese, scallops and broiled halibut. Then we ventured out to the Botanic Garden. The spring is here! We spotted first blooms of narcissus, crocuses, tulips, Korean somthings, Jasmine and many others.
This is our back yard. We love it and are anxiously awaiting our first cherry blooms. Jeremy saw the first buds on the cherry trees. May be next weekend?

Jane Austen ;-)

That was really fun quiz! I just finished reading all her novels and two days ago Jeremy and I watched Pride and Prejustice.... here is the result ;-)

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Present from gGrandma Wilder

On the way to the post office our doorman, George, warned us about a package for Sonia and said that we should pick it up when we got back. We were so excited but we had so many errands to run. Sonia got to see almost half of the Park Slope with its many cute little boutiques. The best part of it was the post office, or the fact that it was empty when we got there. There was no one there!! It had never happened before.
I also spotted a perfect bunny for Sonia but decided not to get it, a bit too pricey. Maybe I'll have to go back. I am loving getting ready for Easter. Jeremy is going to have some competition this year in finding the eggs.
So when we got back, George handed us a cute little package from Grandma Wilder.

No one could wait so we had to open it tonight.
Sonia thought it was a serious gift when the brown wraping came off.
But then there was another one with a very cute little bow.
Yeah! Sonia's most favorite. She loves books and that is exactly what she found in the box. She was reading it and reading and wouldn't even look at the camera. If you know Sonia, you can tell how much she loved Grandma's gift.

Thank you, Grandma Wilder ;-)!

First Time Standing Up

Tonight Sonia really wanted to get to her hair clip so she pulled herself up and was standing on two feet for about three minutes. I am so very happy about it because her pediatrician said she should start standing or we would have to take her hip x-rays. Horray!!!!!!! Her papa says she did really well ;-)

Anthony's First Birthday

On Saturday our friend Anthony had his first birthday party. It was a blast. Sonia loves coming to visit Anthony who lives right next to us in a big brownstone. This was a very special occasion. Anthony's whole house was transformed with dozens bright orange balloons flying from one room to another. Anthony had a very orange outfit on and the kids enjoyed orange macaroni and cheese with OJ.

Jeremy and I discovered a new way to eat bagels with cream cheese, capers, onions and smoked salmon. MMMM SO Good! I think I ate way too much. Anthony and his dad
Anthony's cake and a whole family with Lena, Mark and older sister Isabella who had her birthday party a day later.
Anthony is playing with Sonia. They love to share toys and chase each other around the house.
We also were delighted to make new friends in the neighborhood. At first Sonia was carefully watching other big girls. Then she got to play with Clara.

For the first time Sonia tried to stand up all on her own. She was trying to climb up the stairs and had to pull herself up for a second. I hope she will stand up very soon.

We had so much fun! Thanks for having us.

a box

Getting in, sitting in, thinking in and outside the box.



Doing it over and over about a thousand of times. Then getting in the tub and falling dead asleep. This was a full day.