Action Photos!!!!!

What's a ski trip without ski photos? So today I took my camera out onto the slopes to record the action. We'll start with Tatiana.

That's about it. She's getting pretty camera-shy, especially on the mountain. Then again, Evan is not quite 5 weeks old and Tatiana is on skis, so I guess she's got a point.




Marina has been doing her best to catch up with Mom. After she noticed that all the big kids on the mountain had poles, Marina decided that she needed some too. We asked what she needed them for - "to push myself forward". OK, I guess we can try. So here's Marina with her own poles:








Marina uses them in all the right ways. She goes fast...

She steers her way through deep powder...

Mostly she tries to guarantee that this is the only view most of us will get when she's on skis!

Marina and Evan meet the Greatest Snow on Earth

My last final finished Thursday at 10pm. Drove Tatiana's mom to the airport on friday at 3:30 am. We were all in the car and on our way to Utah by 10:45. Guess I was a little eager to get moving. And now that I've been hanging out here, I haven't been so good at posting updates. Sorry.



So what's the news been? Marina has been learning to ski. Egged on by the promise of a jelly bean at the end of each run (or 2, if it was a particularly tough course), she has quickly gotten the hang of it. We've already taken her down a couple of double-blue runs (in the US it goes green -> blue -> black). All this despite her instructor - me! The next step is to move her to parallel skis - it's a little tough to explain, since she doesn't yet understand "parallel".









What about her little bro Evan? He was quiet for the car trip out (thanks!), but then got back to his hollerin' ways. Grandma Judy finally figured out that he likes fresh air, so he's been getting plenty of walks - and sometimes just hangs out on the balcony.








Mostly, Evan's been learning some new expressions. He's got "serious"...



"Happy"...

"Fish"...

and "Rasta-Mon!"





So, as you can tell, there are a lot of smiling faces out here.










One final lesson that Marina's learned - always end with hot chocolate!


I've got some videos of Marina on skis, but they'll have to wait until we get home.

Sightseeing

Hi again

My finals are almost done, and it's almost time for Grandma to go back to Ryazan. Seems like a good day for sightseeing.

Well, we didn't get too much sightseeing in. We drove up to SF and decided to stop at Tom's place to feed Evan. Then we fed ourselves. Some of the visitors were not impressed with cheap Chinese pastries. There's no explaining taste, I guess.

Finally we arrived at something that looked like the Golden Gate Bridge, only without fog. I pulled out the camera for the first time in a week or so. Was there initial resistance to photography? You decide...


"Smile!"


"This won't hurt..."




But I finally managed to get everyone together. Please note Evan at the bottom of the frame.










And soon we were having fun...













Those of us who could handle the wind walked out onto the bridge for a photo op.










Just as Evan was waking up, it was time to go home.

Videos because I'm too busy for pictures

Been busy this week finishing up the quarter at school, sorry. But we did all get together to watch Monday Night Football for a couple minutes.



Played with the camera more than we watched the game



And later, we checked out new toys


Good times!

Back to School Special

Sunday was my last day of break. Some break. I don't normally go to school Saturday and Sunday when I'm NOT on break..



We tried to enjoy the time together anyhow. Evan took a nap with grandma.












Marina and I watched football. Well, I tried. In any case - she's getting big and her English has come along so quickly.. Sorry for the backlighting.

Getting to know each other

Ahh, quiet time. Tatiana looks a little sleepy, doesn't she? Maybe just sick of me taking pictures? Anyhow - the family and the little man are getting to know each other. Evan is learning to appreciate that his Dad frequently sings through diaper changes. And here we get a glimpse of quiet Evan.

A little early to stick out the tongue for photos, isn't it?










Might as well stick with what works - yelling! At least we're learning to deal with it.











And now - video! Taken from my computer. Evan learns a new skill.

Same Park, Bigger Family

Hi

What's new... Evan and Tatiana came home from the hospital on Tuesday and I spent a couple days focusing more on diaper changes than on pictures. My technique seems to have improved, although today Vanya surprised me with the delayed "Pee on Daddy" move. Tricky.

We wandered off to the park today, neglecting to take house keys with us, and had lots of fun.









Marina can now go across this thingy all by herself..















Seems exciting, doesn't it? But Vanyushka slept through the whole thing.

Day 2 - Meet the family

Yesterday Evan was surprised to learn that the world is bigger than he expected. Today it was time to meet some new people.

Here Marina gets her first look at her new brother. Wow! Just like one of my dolls!! That's pretty cool.

After a quick lesson, Marina gets her first turn to hold baby brother Vanyushka...










... and it doesn't take long for her to decide that she likes him. In fact, she was pretty upset when we left the hospital. We had to call from home to say goodnight again to little Vanya. Oh, and to Mom too.






Here, little Evan shows off his concerned and loving grandmother...











... his relieved-that-it's-over mother...










... and his dad, who is visibly terrified of breaking the baby.

(Notice Evan's awestruck gaze. It's as if he's thinking, "Wow... is it really possible that I could be as good looking as Dad one day? Unbelievable!!" Clearly, the kid knows he was born with a winning lottery ticket.)







What else is there to say, other than "Don't forget who's older!!"? See you next time.

New Addition

Now that there's a new kid around, I guess there's nothing to do but start a blog.

A few pictures to get things started...

Here's the little guy right after he was born. I snuck this picture before Tatiana even saw him, I think. She had other stuff on her mind, it seems pretty reasonable to me.

We had the name Evan Morton already picked out, but I didn't think he'd take it to heart like this. He's already got my grandfather's hair. Better than having mine, I guess.





Time for the big weigh-in. 9lbs, 0.7oz - and that's after he couldn't quite make it to the bathroom for his first deuce.











Vanya already knows that first impressions can go a long way, so he puts on his smiley face. Not that he had anything to worry about - Tatiana and I already had decided that he's a keeper.








Now he's all wrapped up & quiet. Waiting until he gets to meet grandma & his big sister, I suppose.