Igor's artwork

Igor's latest work is outside his comfort zone of oil paints but he is becoming more confident with water color when mixed with crayon.

Water color and crayon







Self portrait with ripped paper



crayon and water color

Igor's Art

Upward basketball has come to a close so Igor's Saturdays are free again. Well, they were until last Saturday when he started art class again.
When I dropped him off on Saturday my heart fell as Ms. Evan explained they would be doing watercolors. I looked at Igor and he was not pleased. He wanted to go back home. In December Igor experimented with watercolors for several weeks but he struggled. He prefers to sketch or use oil paints.
I encouraged him to give it a try and he agreed. When I picked him up he presented me with a lovely butterfly done in watercolor and pastels. I was so proud of him for not giving up before he started.

Henry, tummy troubles, Igor's drawings

Henry continues to amaze me. He loves to ride his three wheeled scooter around the block.
His daddy taught him that every puddle is his own personal water park! Henry cannot walk by a puddle without getting sopping wet.
If you ask Henry a question and the answer is "NO!" he vigorously shakes his head and waves his hands in the air. When he does this I stifle a laugh because it's so funny.
He eats everything except two of Igor's favorite foods; beets and cucumbers.
When he hears the dryer buzzer he taps his ear, grabs my shirt and pulls me into the laundry room. He also taps his ear, as if to say "hear it", when a helicopter or airplane flies over the house.
Henry loves sitting in the car. He doesn't want to go anywhere, he just wants to sit in the car. The other day we had our snack in the car which was parked in the garage. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. He was happy so I was happy. I know some day I won't want to sit in the car eating a snack but for right now I'm okay with it.
Henry still loves to spit. It's something he did in Ethiopia. We've tried to get him to stop spitting all together but sometimes he has the urge to spit. I needed a compromise so I have taught him to spit in the toilet instead of on the kitchen floor. He can go for days without the urge to spit then something happens and he is spitting in the toilet 5 or 6 times a day.

Henry continues to have tummy troubles. Yesterday we had to clean the carpet, the floor, Henry, etc... poor little guy. I am a fan of probiotics but they seem to be making his tummy worse. It makes me wonder if the giardia is back. I guess we'll know soon enough. We were able to fill and deliver the remaining stool sample kits to the lab this weekend. I hope to hear something soon!

Igor continues to adjust to having a little brother. Honestly, he wishes that he was still an only child. Heavy sigh. I am so grateful that Henry is so sweet and laid back. I'm sure he understands when Igor rejects him but Henry keeps trying to play with Igor. The other day I heard giggles coming from the other room. Igor was chasing Henry around the dining room and Henry was laughing. I peeked in, Igor looked like he was having fun! what a sweet, sweet picture! My hope is one day soon Igor will let Henry into his world.

Igor is really enjoying his art class. The other day a LL Bean catalog came in the mail. He looked at the picture and said mom that's a beautiful picture. He took the catalog to art class on Saturday. He told his teacher that he wanted to paint part of the catalog cover. She was very supportive! I think it will take a couple of weeks to finish.

The previous few weeks at art Igor has focused on drawing houses with colored pencils. I have looked back on the numerous houses Igor has drawn. All of the houses have red curtains and light (yellow) shining out. Here are two of his latest drawings:

Insurance, Henry's first hair cut, Igor's paintings, Birthday

On Thursday our insurance was reactivated!! Praise, praise, praise!!

Henry went for his first haircut on Friday. Babushka was with me to document the haircut with photos. I am learning the barber shop protocol. Is it first come first serve? Which barber cuts little kids hair? Can you wait for a specific barber? What days are the busiest? A gentleman who owns a clothing shop next to the barber's shop was hanging out at the shop. He taught me where it sit, showed me the barbers who cut children's hair, etc... He was very helpful! The barber, Mark, was awesome but Henry was scared.

Here are Igor's latest paintings

Did you notice that the flowers were smiling?

Friday was Rob's birthday. Here are boys helping daddy open presents.

Henry, Igor and our Insurance

Henry loves his flavored medicine! He opens his mouth as soon as I remove the bottle from the refrigerator. If your child tests positive for giardia I highly recommend going to a special pharmacy which will compound and flavor the medicine for your child. We are on day 2 1/2 of the medicine but we can see a difference. YAH!!

Last night at dinner we were talking about orphans and orphanages. I asked Igor if he wanted to paint a picture for an Orphan's Ticket Home Gala. He said, "Sure but I want to draw a picture right now." Here's Igor's picture of a mom and dad with their adopted child. According to Igor the letters next to each person is their made up name because Igor doesn't know this family. I don't know why the dad only has two teeth but I love the fact that each family member has a heart and they are all holding hands. The belly buttons made me smile.

I have talked to the insurance company more than I would like to admit. I finally spoke with a woman who really wanted to help me sort the situation out. She spoke with several departments and supervisors but we still do not have a resolution to the situation. She said they have 30 days to review the documents. So we wait....

Igor goes to art school

After months of talking about it, Rob and I finally enrolled Igor in art school. Igor has painted numerous canvases. He loves to paint and seems to be gifted in this area so we thought Igor would love the idea. When we mentioned the class to Igor he was really upset, he really wants a break from school on the weekends. We explained it won't be the same as school, he will get to draw and paint for 90 minutes without Henry interrupting. He agreed to try one class.

This morning I took Igor to his art class. The teacher reminds me a little bit of Ms. Joya, his nursery school teacher, except she is more animated. She uses the following words: nurture, imagination, create, explore, sensitive.... I knew Igor would love the class. The teacher plays classical music in the background while the children draw a picture to warm up their fingers then they paint or draw with charcoal or pastels.

Today Igor started painting a green meadow with a brilliant orange sky. I was really impressed. The teacher helped him match the colors for a striking contrast. She said that Igor is painting in the Picasso style- meaning layering of colors. I'm not a fan of Picasso's painting but I don't think Igor's painting will look anything like a Picasso. I cannot wait to see the finished piece next month.

How do you say I-G-O-R? and art work

Igor is pronounced EEE-gore not EYE-gore. Most people pronounce it correctly but occasionally a doctor or nurse will call out EYE-gore and Igor won't even look up. He has no idea that they are calling him.

At school they are learning the sounds of each letter and how to read. The other day Igor came home very excited about the "E" sound. He said, "Evan, Ethan, Igor! We all start with an E". Now, Igor knows how to spell his name and he knows it starts with an "I". He is confused- why does the "I" in his name sounds like an "E". Oh honey, there are so many exceptions in the English language and your name is Russian!

Igor loves rules. His name being an exception doesn't sit well with him. On his latest painting he signed his name IGORE. Why the E? So people would know to say EEE-gore. Of course, why didn't I think of that?? As soon as we replace our digital camera I'll post his signature on the painting.

Here's Igor's fish in watercolors.


Here is Igor's acrylic painting completed in September. Thanks for the picture Cindy!