Since I'm catching up, you can get ready for some pictures again! First, a very belated Merry Christmas wish:
Here's Lydia on Christmas morning:
Her stocking contained her favorite treat... GUM!
Sledding on Christmas day:
One of Lydia's friends from preschool was at the sledding hill:
Later on Christmas day, opening presents while skyping with the grandparents:
December 26: My birthday surprise! Dasha came to watch the girls, and Aaron and I went to see the Russian championship competition for pairs figure skating! A dream come true!
December 27: Aaron and Lydia playing "Memory." Lydia is getting quite good at this!
Later that day, Lydia ended up not feeling well. Poor girl... asleep on the sofa with her kitty ears.
Birdie practicing sitting up on her own:
I'm in the background, working on sewing a new baby carrier. Here's Lydia with her baby and kitty in "baby slings": 
Birdie ready to go out in her new stroller, after our old one fell apart:
Lydia in the pretty snow on January 1st:
Monster icicles on our building:
Lydia and "Kiska":
My new baby carrier I made. Much easier than the stroller when the sidewalks are covered in mounds of ice and snow. Credit goes to http://stilllearninglife.blogspot.com/2008/01/diy-hood-to-headrest-mei-tai-tutorial.html for the design and tutorial!
Russian Christmas day is on January 7th. Here is our celebration that evening:
Lydia in the deep snow at the park. It looks like late at night, but remember the sun was setting around 4pm!
Just don't eat the yellow snow...
Sledding with some American friends. I love how Josiah looks so bundled up that he can hardly bend to sit on his sled! :)
We tried experimenting with finger food (grated apple), but Birdie didn't quite get the concept. It was fun to spread around on the tray though.
Tea party on the kitchen table:
The sledding hill, with nice ice slides!
One of Lydia's Christmas presents was a pair of ice skates! ("Ice skaters" as she says.) This is her first time to try them out (Jan. 16). She didn't do too bad. She told me she fell alot, but it wasn't scary. Check out the beautiful trees behind her, coated in frost from the ice fog we had!
That's all for now!