Nap

Okay, so the nap before Red Square turned into a full "catch up" of our jet lag. Well worth it if we can complete the week here on a normal schedule. When we awoke this afternoon we still found some adventure by getting to the local grocery store for some staple items. This was the second time in the same number of days I have heard my husband say that we could take our time while we shopped. Wow.

We also had dinner out at a place called Torro Grill (good food, great service, reasonably priced - in case you find yourself in Moscow in the near future). Our server was really great. Kept making sure we had everything we could need, with special attention to the needs of a certain 2 year old. Natalia enjoyed eating the tomatoes and cucumbers from my salad and also sampled just a couple french fries from Daddy's plate. She also sampled a few other new items today. This made me very happy, especially since she hardly ate a thing yesterday.

Tomorrow (for real this time) we will head to Red Square; in the morning with bells on. Caveat (isn't there always?): Unless precluded by obnoxiously early wake time followed by impractical duration of nap.

So, what else . . . How about a few lessons; more the kind that serve as good reminders than any earth-shattering revelations:

1. If a child has been accustomed to sleeping in a crib, put the child in the crib when it's time to sleep.
Don't even dare to call me stupid here. I know I'm not the only one who has had the idea that a child is better off (to fall or to stay asleep, to feel more secure, etc., etc.). This evening when it came time for bed, we simply laid Natalia in the pack-n-play. Who would have guessed that she would lay down, roll around for about 20 minutes without fuss, and then go to sleep. Hmmm . . . now that I say it, it really does sound familiar. Dang, I am out of practice.

2. Toddlers don't necessarily reserve biting as a form of self-defense.
In terms of "rainbows and butterflies", Natalia continues to "entertain" us with 2-3 games of "who's the boss" each day. As I told Sydney last night, our job is to teach Natalia everything she would have learned in a family from the ages of 0-2 years old. This endeavor includes a little tidbit Chad and I learned on our 1st or 2nd visit with Natalia when one of the caregivers told us that Natalia bites. At the time, the caregiver was telling us how Natalia and another little girl in her grupa would battle it out from time to time. The other little girl was waiting for her mother to be released from prison. I figured, maybe Natalia just has to bite in some form of toddler self-defense. Nope, not just reserved for self defense. Both Syd (mostly Syd) and I have been the recipients; not like jaws of thunder or anything, but she does like to give a good chew now and again. We're working on it.

3. Forgiveness is the most powerful of all.
Natalia has recognized that Sydney is also a child (albeit a more grown up version of a child); this has meant that Sydney sometimes ends up being the other player (or innocent 3rd party) in a game of "who's the boss". This was definitely true last night not long before bed time. When Natalia went from playfully battling (by her terms) with her sister to sad and regretful, Sydney did the simplest, yet the most amazing, thing. As I was achieving mediocre progress at calming Natalia, Sydney rose from her bed, picked up her new little sister and said all kinds of sweet words to her. Then the two of them laid down on our bed; while Natalia was still crying just a little, she was completely transfixed with her sister. I do believe she was experiencing the power of forgiveness. Sydney had been hit and bit; yet her actions and words were telling Natalia that she still loved her. Isn't that what it's all about? Even if I don't like what you do, I will still always love you. It brought to me tears (which I think I successfully hid from them both).

Chad and I continue to look at each other, asking if it's really real. And it is. As real as our life always is. I say this as Chad and I watch a live stream of the first annual "Ladies in Red" Red Angus cattle sale. We, as Zehnder Cattle, are so very proud to participate in this event alongside the Bayer family (TC Reds) and the Weber family (Weber Land & Cattle). Us Zehnder's have had the easy part of this one since there is very little that can be done for such an event from half-a-world-away. I'd like to take a moment to thank Scott and Mia Bayer and Jesse and Michelle Weber for this event, and for doing even more work to cover for mine and Chad's (much more obvious) absence. Also, a huge thank you across the world to Alex for holding down the fort at home, Zach Wangen for an excellent job getting the reds ready for the sale, and to Matt and Bob for helping put the pieces together the last couple weeks as well.

Now, finishing this post on Sunday morning, we're really headed for Red Square!

Cameo, Chad, Sydney, & Natalia

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