Spring update

Until the last week or so, the Spring has been a little chilly--you can see in these mid-May photos. This week we are into pre-summer with a vengeance, and the boys get to wear shorts to school. Lonya is making huge strides with recognizing the alphabet and reading little words. Sergey shines at reading time and art projects. Sery will go to Lonya's pre-school starting June 11. You can see from the photos how the boys like to play together. I have tried to prepare the school for this little dynamo (for example, I remarked how much Sergey likes markers and crayons and how nice and white the walls were--for now). The teachers there are optimistic and enthusiastic, and it will be fun to have the boys in the same place again. I do know, though, that Sergey will miss the old school (as Lonya did), and will especially miss his teachers. Sery is just starting to play with other kids. Lonya is Mr. Social.

Yesterday we went to a pediatric dentist, and both boys were truly well-behaved. Then in the evening they had their last swimming lesson for the season. Lonya is becoming much more self-confident. He especially loves spectacular jumps into the water, and he is no longer afraid to put his head and face in. Sergey finally got off the pool-side bench where he has been huddled next to me for the whole session, and he spent the last two lessons actually in the water with the teacher. I think we have turned a corner and he will be ready to start learning now.

This age is a fun time with the boys. I've taken them hiking and Lonya can already keep up with me. Sergey, however, had to be carried through half of it, so we are trying to keep things short. Lonya is getting more and more helpful. Sergey is still stuck in tantrum-mode some of the time. But both of them are maturing and are usually very polite and loving and fun to be around.