On the go

No, I haven't abandoned the idea of blogging, but I certainly have given up on all hopes that I will be able to sitt still for more than 3 minutes at a time in the next few years. Emil has certainly gotten bigger, smarter, and definitely - definitely faster. Not only is he a very speedy crawler, managing to get from point A to point B faster than I can foresee his next move (which, quite possibly, has to do with the slow-down of my mental abilities), but he has also started pulling up and cruising, while holding on to what he believes to be immobile objects. Imagine his (and our) surprise a few days ago, when he grabbed on to Sophia's doll stroller and started walking forward, only to realize that the stroller is moving forward, too. He ended up walking for a few meters, holding on to the stroller as if it is a walker. We ran for the camera, but, unfortunatelly, were too late, so you'll have to use your imagination on this one. He babbles a ton, displaying his satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the equally persistant "ga-ga" and such sounds. He wasn't too shy yesterday when we went to the Metropolitan Museum yesterday, loudly announcing his amusement with the exhibitions.
Sophia has been doing well, too, showing significant progress in her reading skills. She also continues to express her opinions on what we should and should not be doing with Emil, what foods to feed him and what to avoid, what activities are more challenging for him, and such. She goes around the park announcing to all strangers that she encounters that she has a brother - Emil - and he is 10 months old. Her English has actually gotten quite good, at least the instructional use of it (such as take this, give me that, etc.).
Another exciting thing happened this weekend - we have received the kids' passports. Sophia is quite proud of them, and keeps wanting to share these news with everyone she meets. Isn't it funny how even the littlest citizens have their own passports?
I also wanted to share a very exciting even in Sasha's life - he has purchased another piece of art - a levered espresso machine. He found it on Craig's list in MI, and didn't rest until his whole family took part in the evacuation scheeme of the Olympia (that's the machine's name). We are now anxiously anticipating its, or should I say "her" arrival. Welcome home!