These 3 Things

What do these three things have in common?

a window...

cotton balls...

...and a ladder?

Any guesses? Well, all these things are items used to seal our windows to stop the cold draft. We tried tape, but the walls and widow seals were so cold the tape came off. We tried plastic wrap, but the draft was blowing just hard enough through the windows that the plastic wrap kept coming off too! So, on to a Russian trick...cotton balls. Philip took an afternoon and stuck cotton balls in the gaps between the frames and the windows in our living room. (Gwen would play on the floor and when we would get her up, her little hands and face would be ice cubes!) It took awhile, but you know what, it did the trick! Philip said his fingers were a little raw from sticking the cotton balls in the little cracks. But it was worth it because now we are warmer whenever we are in the living room!
The temperatures are still cold, but after a few days in the negatives any single digit temperature feel warm! Everything is in Celsius here, so we are constantly trying to figure out the Fahrenheit equal! Talk about a trip back to 4th grade math!

What do you suppose these three "things" have in common?

a handsome, loving, helpful husband...

a cheerful, squirrely little 8 month old...

...and a sweet, loving 2 year old?

They are very special people to me! They are my support and loves of my lives!
(I actually just wanted to share the pictures with you!)

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Pictures

This afternoon it was sunny outside...and VERY cold. The previous days have been colder though. We are in the negatives. Yes, Fahrenheit negatives. You walk outside and instantly are rather cold. When the wind blows it is hard to breathe because it is so cold. I lost my gloves last January and never replaced them. All I have are my thin running gloves---yes, my hands froze and then went numb. I decided to just wear a pair of Philip's gloves for the time being. They are much warmer!

Since the sun was shining and I had a few errands to run, I decided to take the camera and take a few pictures. I hope you enjoy them!

See, people really do wear fur coats here!

Yet another child making his way across town on a sled! Man, sounds like the life doesn't it? I don't know why no one wants to push me around on a sled!

Golden Gate (this is a bus stop we frequently take back to our apartment)

We have snow. Lots of it.

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Brrrr!!!

It is 10 degrees F today. We woke up a bit chilly even though our heat is up to its highest and no wool blankets are covering the radiators! Our windows are old, so there is a pretty cold draft that you can feel. Philip tried taping them up before we left in November, but it isn't doing the trick. We'll survive. I am pretty sure my parents' house in Ohio is colder than our apartment...and it is not because they don't have heat!

The other day Adalynn and I went across the way and picked up some milk. We saw a cat sitting by the door. Of course Adalynn wanted to say hello. She just stood there and said hi, and immediately the cat came over and started rubbing her leg. She thought this was pretty funny! It was really windy that day. As you can see, Adalynn is shielding her face from the wind. She kept saying, "It's so windy!"

We have been super blessed by you as supporters! We have had many new faith promises made over the past year, as well as, most if not all, expired faith promises, get renewed! Thank you for your giving! If your faith promise is looking to expire in the next month please pray about continuing this partnership. We want you to continue to partner with us. Your investment in our lives is life changing. If you are wondering when your faith promise expires/ed please don't hesitate to drop us an email! pkgormong@gmail.com

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Snow

Looks like someone is actually enjoying the snow!

This morning we took a walk to the place where we can put money on our phones. Phones here are like the pay and go phones in America. We just put 100rubles ($3) on our phone and we are set to go for about a week, sometimes more if one of us gets chatty talking on the phone. Anyway, my phone had no money, so I could not send or receive any calls or messages. We bundled the girls up, retrieved the sled out of the closet, and away we went!

On our way home, we stopped by the playground and Adalynn actually got out of the sled and walked in the snow! I think she liked that the snow was just fluffy and crunchy as apposed to slippery and wet like the other day. Adalynn played on the swing, went down the slide, and threw snow up in the air...and in her face...accidentally of course!

Our family is feeling back to normal. Everyone is better and nights are getting better...Gwen is still not quite adjusted, but Adalynn is going to bed at 7:30pm and sleeping until 8:30am without waking up!

Thanks for you prayers! We hope to begin language lessons again in a week! We better get reviewing!

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

The Outdoors

We ventured outside today...just to get out...and to have a good reason to get dressed for the day! (kidding...I think)

It hasn't been too cold here yet. Still in the 30's F, which has been nice, though the ground is slushy and wet!

We also saw someone cleaning/beating their rug outside...I just remember this picture from a book I read when I was little. I suppose it is a good way to clean your rug without a sweeper...or a good way to get tension out from too much family over the holidays. I am not sure which reason this guys was outside... (picture below)

We just went to the store across the street. The whole family went. We bundled every up, Russian style, and headed out. Yesterday (Christmas here in Russia), Philip went out for the afternoon to join our church for a Christmas dinner with all the small "churches". He said it was a good time. He also had a chance to meet some new people who have been coming. I stayed home with the very tired children:)

Here is Gwen dress warmly for the outside. When we got inside, I took her hat off and she was sweating. Poor girl.

This girl did NOT like walking in the snow/slush. DID NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT. I was sorry to inform her that this her new life. We had some crying break downs on the way to and from the store because of the snow...it ended up being kind of a long trip. But we did get some butter for what we needed, which of course was one of the most important things of the day...a birthday cake for later!

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen