Oh man. I am so tired. B woke up with 103 temperature today. He looked like death. Normally I'm not too frazzled when my kids get sick, but I just had a bad feeling. So we rushed to get ready and Greg took us to work with him. There's a nurse practitioner there and she saw us right away. He's fine and perked right up after he got some medicine in him. It was so nice to be able to just walk right in! And she knew who we were. She's NOT my own personal doctor, she's the doctor for the whole embassy- but after we got home, they checked in with me twice and told me to call a certain number after hours and to come in right away if he's not doing well in the morning. It was so nice! I feel like they're my own full time doctor! It was just really great.

Moving to a new country is so EXHAUSTING. In all reality, it couldn't be going better. Everything has gone SO WELL. Honestly- better than I was expecting. And I feel like my expectations were really high! But no matter what, there is just so much to FIGURE OUT. I couldn't count how many times I've been longing for a WALMART. That blessed store. I'll be saying it my entire life. I was never a Walmart "hater", but I wasn't a praiser either. I always tried to avoid that store. Oh man have I been wanting that store more than ANYTHING these days!

Walmart is seriously the best thing on the planet. A store that has everything. GENIUS!!!! Oh how I wish it was here. The most random things, you can all find at walmart. A nite light, a blowdryer, a broom. Here? No. It's a different experience. You go to the market. The market is a maze or crammed little vendors, everyone has their own little "stall" and you just walk and walk and look and look. Thankfully, my driver knows the market well and speaks russian so he led the way. But even with his help, it was still difficult! He led me to the section and found a nite lite. Well, I didn't like it and wanted a different one. I could tell it was super cheap quality and it was in the shape of a flour and the bulb was exposed. But that was all she had, so I bought it thinking this was it. We literally walk to the next booth and there were different nite lights! Ones that were better. But I had just boughten the crappy ones! And it's not like you have a receipt and return it. And it seemed like it happened with EVERYTHING I needed. After 3 items of this routine, I realized that I just need to find the "section" and roam around. The whole thing was just exhausting. And as soon as you touch something they're just in your face and won't leave you to mull it over at all. And the markets are full of CRAP. It was impossible to find anything of quality that didn't look like it was going to BREAK. But that's all that was there! The USA is so amazing and wonderful, oh man. I knew USA what rich and had a lot of money but just the DETAILS of EVERYTHING. It's so much better in ALMOST every way. I mean, every country has their individual things to offer. Certain foods, certain products, certain activities or ways of life. But as far as PHYSICAL things you can BUY and USE. Oh man, it is not the same. Not at all. I'll just leave it at that.

I love my driver. He's the best. I don't know how I would be surviving without him.

Greg's settling into his job well. Everyone he works with is so nice, especially his boss. People at the embassy are constantly having barbeques and get togethers. It's GREAT, but I feel like I don't have a moment to breathe sometimes. But I'm wondering if it's just "the season". People leaving, people arriving- reasons to have everyone over. It's been great because we've gotten to know people a lot faster, which is good, but it hogs the free weekend time to to anything else. We've yet to get to the mountains . . . they are so mind blowing. They just go on and on. It really is incredible.

The kids are doing great. Brighton has been walking for four days now. And I mean WALKING. He had taken a couple steps here, a couple steps there for a week or so and I'm not even sure if he realized. But Sunday he seriously WALKED WALKED WALKED on and off all day long! It was crazy! And his distance just got longer and longer and longer. He's walked a good 20 feet outside! The crazy thing is, is how solid he is! He hasn't had one bad fall. When he's done he just sits down or falls on his bum. I like that I don't have to follow him around unless he's heading towards a corner. I need to get a video of him. He's so cute.

Scarlet's been driving me crazy. CRAZY. Oh man. There are a million light switches in this house. In every hallway, in every room, in every CLOSET. And every place has TONS of switches. It's never just one. And she just loves loves LOVES to flip them all on and off, all day long. DRIVES ME CRAZY. She's also constantly emptying out every drawer in the kitchen, taking things here, taking things there. I need my baby locks to arrive!!!!! Even then, I don't know if they'll keep her out! Atleast it will keep B out. By the way, I keep saying B because it's so much easier than typing out Brighton. It's not a new nickname or anything.

Ok. Scarlet. Seriously entered her terrible twos. It's a nightmare. I can't tell you the screams and tantrums I've heard. She hits me now. I have to put her in a screaming time out where I'm pushing against the door, with my entire force, five times a day. Oh it's terrible. And this is after her getting away with a LOT. She's driving me crazy. That's all I can say.

So half the time she's like that and half the time she is so much FUN. When she's not being a nightmare- she's simply delightful! She is living off of yogurt and has been a nightmare to feed. She simply won't eat anything.

Brighton is so much fun. I just look at him and I love him so much. Cute is the word. That is all I can think when I look at him. Last month, it seemed he was changing so fast and the "baby" part was leaving. He is so baby. I just can't get enough of him. I love to look at him.

Confession: He is 11 months and I still nurse him 2-3 times a night. Occasionally I get away with once, but it's rare. I have gotten to sleep 5 hours a handful of times, since he's been born. My average is 3 1/2 hours, a couple times a night. I haven't slept 7 hours straight in over 18 months. I have been longing for sleep. I keep saying I'm going to cut him off, but I never do. There's always a reason (like sickness) or I'm just too dang tired. Well, 2 nights ago I cut him off and let him cry a few times and it was fine! Last night he slept solid for 12 hours, but I realize now it was probably his intense fatigue from being so sick. We'll see what happens, but I think I finally can see it through.

I think Brighton has been so fun because he's so different than Scarlet and it's been such an adventure to watch him grow! He is so boy. He is so aggressive. He likes to hit things. He likes to throw things. He does not have much of an attention span. He hits me all the time, but it's not to actually hit me. He just loves to flap his arms super fast. I try to grab his hands and explain "soft" and "gentle" but his eyes have moved on and he is not paying attention. It's weird, because he loves to play and is always engaging with us, but as soon as I'm trying to teach him something specific, he has moved on before I've even begun. I was really frustrated, but I think I've finally excepted this is just how he is and I need to be more patient.

He REALLY is obsessed with pulling Scarlet's hair OUT. To the point that I'm giving him time outs!!! I'm hoping he will catch on and stop doing it. I just hold him in a certain chair and restrict his arms. He does NOT like it. But soon I'll set up the pack n play and put him in that. I think that will be more obvious and easier for me.

We got our air shipment YESTERDAY!!!! HOORAH!!!! It is so thrilling to have more than 3 dull knives and a cutting board the size of a sheet of paper. It has really been difficult getting by in the kitchen. We haven't literally been starving, but it seems like there is NEVER anything to eat. It's been the WORST. Finally, we can get back to how we used to eat.

Greg and I have been stuffing our faces full of SO MUCH chocolate I can't even describe. I mean, Greg is as bad as me now. That has NEVER happened. I am happy to say- there is good chocolate here. What a happy surprise. And even better- HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE!!!!! It's everywhere. That blessed chocolate. We've been scarfing it down and I think the only way we're not getting fat is that it's been so hard to feed ourselves at all. Because we should've gained 10 pounds by now. EASILY.

We are still SO FAR from a routine. As much as things aren't perfect and I keep thinking they should be by now, we've only been here 3 weeks. It has not been very long. So I guess we're doing pretty good.

We had some local food the other day and it was freakin' amazing. It was SOOOOO good. I'd never had anything like it before! The noodles were fresh and gooey and simply amazing. And it was in this brothy sauce that tasted like STEW. It doesn't sound good but it seriously WAS. SO GOOD. Like I need to learn how to make this and make it a staple forever. It's amazing.

Alright. I'm done. Talk to you later!