Russia - flight over/Sunday/Red Square

Jake and I flew from Salt Lake to LA and met John there, who was coming from Phoenix.  We had a 2 hour layover, so we grabbed some food and one last diet mountain dew :)  Then waited in the terminal for our flight. 

 

Jake did GREAT on the flight over.  I was expecting and preparing for the worst, and he was so, so good.  It helped that we had four seats, a whole row to ourselves.  John and I were each on one end and Jake played on the other two seats when he was awake.  We strapped him in his car seat when he got tired and he slept for a lot of the flight which was so nice.  I was even able to get on the floor at one point and sleep for 3 hours.  We landed, went through passport control, and met my parents at baggage claim!  It was SO GOOD to see them.  My mom and I couldn't stop smiling or hugging.

Their driver drove us back to the mission home and my mom had a delicious meal prepared for us.  We were starving (airline food is NOT good, especially on a Russian airline)!  Jake was in heaven with Grandpa and Grandma and being the only child.  We went to bed early that night and were exhausted.

trying on Grandma and Grandpa's silly neat Russian hats...   

 

this is what Jake looked like all bundled up before we'd head out...just like Ralphie's little brother Randy on "A Christmas Story"

Our first full day there, Sunday, we went to church in the morning.  It was a Russian speaking only ward, so we smiled a lot and nodded our heads :)  It was a neat drive to church, through downtown Moscow.  The Russian members were all so nice and anxious to meet us.  Jake was swept away by the older Russian women and smelt like a lot of different perfumes when we finally got him back.  It was fun to meet some of my parents missionaries and put faces with names.  One of the sisters was nice enough to sit behind us and translate the meeting.  My dad spoke and made me more proud of him than ever.  It was so neat to see him in his element, speaking and teaching in Russian, which sounds like one of the most complicated languages ever to me. After church we took naps and then were invited to my parents neighbors/friends house for dinner. 

Monday John, my mom, Jake, and I headed back to downtown Moscow, to Red Square and the Kremlin.  We dropped my dad off at the office and took the metro in.  I have never been in a big, big city like Moscow and was amazed at all the apartment buildings, the parking (people park anywhere and everywhere), the driving, and the amount of people.  I felt like I was in a movie most of my time in Russia - just amazed at everything. 

outside the Kremlin...somewhere in all these trees, which is called Alexander's Garden, was where my great-great-great-grandpa dedicated the land in 1903 for the preaching of the gospel in Russia.

We went in the Armory museum first and then walked around Red Square.  Here are the guards that don't move - reminded me of an I Love Lucy episode. 

This was an ice castle of St. Basil's cathedral...which John and I went in while my mom watched Jake outside - too many stairs to take a stroller in.

St. Basils - so pretty.

Red Square...the red tent area was an area for ice-skating

Lennon's tomb - which was closed for cleaning.

 

 

outside the Kremlin

We were exhausted by the end of the day (from jet lag too)!  Jake was such a good baby all.day.long.  I even forgot his bottle...what kind of mother am I?!....and he still did great.  We stopped at McDonald's for lunch on Red Square (a Big Mac never tasted so good) and got warm before we ventured back out for more sight seeing.   

I loved seeing these 2 together all week (and Jake with my mom too).  I think he really liked having so much attention.