2010 is well under way, but it's hard to believe it only began a month ago. The New Year holiday was a busy time for us. My parents came to visit for a week and a half, my brother Craig and his wife Olga came and Olga's mom, Luba, came all the way from Russia. This was Luba's first visit to the US. Even though she speaks no English she was able to make the journey by herself. I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first about having her stay at our house. I wasn't sure what to expect since she doesn't speak English and I don't speak Russian. I was afraid we would have those awkward silence moments that nobody likes. As it turned out, her visit was nothing like I expected.
on Monday night we went to pick up Grammy and Papi at the airport.
Cooper had a great time watching all of the luggage go around on the carousel at the airport.
We went out to the Red Iguana for dinner. And Cooper was excited to use a straw for the first time.
Cooper spent most of his time being pulled around in the laundry basket. It was one of his favorite games.
Cooper loved the fill and dump wagon from Grammy and Papi. When it crashed, he pulled out his screwdriver and started to fix it.
When Craig, Olga, and Luba arived Luba wan't shy at all. She jumped right in and warmed up to Cooper right away.
Cooper trying on Olga's Russian hat.
This was our third Christmas celebration for this year. And by this time Cooper was a pro at opening presents.
Here is Cooper opening his Russian stuffed animals and wooden tool bench.
Everyone got new hats for Christmas.
Papi was especially excited about his because it was a Russian revolutionary hat.
Grammy made a hat for everyone.
Cooper's was a little big for him.
Craig is always the clown in the family.
Cooper loved playing with his Russian whistle toy. Although he had difficulty blowing it, he would carry it around in his mouth.
For New Year's dinner we had barbeque pork ribs, garlic noodles, and green salad. Who's idea was it to have Cooper suck on the bone? Oh yeah, Grammy's. To our surprise, he loved it!
Cooper always seems to copy Uncle Craig. But Cooper is much cuter, sorry Uncle Craig.
Cooper is helping Luba learn English by reading a Curious George book.
We were thankful the air cleared up one day so we could go out and play. Thanks to Craig, we were able to have the tallest snowman on the block. Who ever heard of a 4 ball snowman?? Cooper enjoyed helping too.
Since this was Luba's first trip to Utah, we thought it would be fun to take the Front Runner down to SLC for a day.
Cooper loved riding on the train. Looking out the window at all the scenery was so exciting.
After awhile, Cooper was getting tired of being held. Thank goodness we were almost there.
Temple Square was just as busy as ever. All Cooper wanted to do was walk up and down the stairs.
We had fun shopping at the Gateway. I was most excited about getting a snickers caramel apple.
On the way home, one of the train workers was passing out candy canes. Cooper love it instantly.
When we got home we ate sushi and steak. My dad and I were the ones who ate steak. We're not big on eating sushi. Mom, however dove right in and enjoyed every bite.
After all the toys Cooper had received for Christmas, his favorite toy ended up being some pipe insinuation we used as bumper pads around our table.
None of us made it to midnight this year. We were all in bed by 9:30.
What a great New Years celebration this turned out to be!
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