Ivan, Becca, Maks Makarov

PRIVATE PARTY

noreply@blogger.com (Becca) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:12:00 +0000

Hey you guys! I know I've been slacking on my blogging, but so much has been happening. We just came back from Moscow, Russia. And we want to share everything with you, but Ivan (finally) decided or agreed to go private with our blog. Please email me or leave your email address on this post by Wednesday, April 22 so you can get on our VIP list. If I have your email address then I will more than likely put you on it. I will try to personally remind all those on my blog list. Thanks and sorry for the feed reader inconvenience!

Becca the Slacker

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Becca, the Slacker, is my new name. Obviously, I've been avoiding the blogging game. The problem you see is that after one or two weeks of leave, it becomes easier to ignore my duty to bore. (Okay enough with the rhyming.) Honestly, though if you ever kept a journal and miss a few days or a few weeks or even a couple months, then you feel like you have to write about everything that you missed and this seems so daunting, so you decide to keep putting it off. Well enough is enough. I will try to give you a quick version of the past couple of months, which will hopefully shed light for me being a slacker.

The day after President's Day, Maks and I flew to UT to see my new niece, Kodi Nicole. She is so cute and tiny and before this visit, I almost forgot how small these precious packages come. My sister, Nici, took to her new role like a pro. I am so proud and happy for her. I know she is and will continue to be a great and loving mother. During this visit, I spent some time with my family and even visited some friends. My sister, Lea, and I went to Kristy, my friend and hair dresser, for a new hairdo. She is the funniest gal and she has the funniest boys that entertained Maks. The weekend was spent at a Nuskin University. Very informative and super quality products! Kodi was blessed that Sunday and Maks and I flew back on my 27th birthday - on February 23rd. Ivan made a very lovely video for me. Even though a couple pics were not my fave, I am so grateful for his creativity and artistic talent. I had a great birthday seeing my family and being with Ivan and Maks. And I can't believe I am SOOOO OLD!!!

The day after I came home from my Utah trip, I started working. Yep, just call me a career, working woman. Actually, it's not really a career, at least not for me. I've been a substitute teacher for a local school district as well as for charter high schools. It has been very, very interesting to say the least and a somewhat positive learning experience. Here are a few things I've learned:

1 - I don't want to be a school teacher (maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I had my own class), but substituting is tough.
2 - I feel really sorry for the way I treated my substitutes in school. I wasn't such a bad kid, but I loved attention, so I did what I could to get it. (Subs didn't like me much). Just think back to when you were little snots to your substitutes.
3 - Working (only really working 8 - 3 and I don't have to prep) and coming home to a family in a mother role is very difficult. I have no idea how my mom did it and I have no idea how all the women out there can do it either. (I will save more thoughts about this for another post!)
4 - I definitely appreciate my days off and I am glad I can choose them.
5 - Finally, now that I've been back to work in the real world, I need to start thinking about what I want to do for my "career." BUT in the mean time, I will enjoy spending time with Maks.

Speaking of Maks, I need to give an update on him. Ivan supplies us with lovely pictures, but they don't share everything (almost, but not everything).

This was posted by me, but I guess Ivan has been using my computer....

The Boy and the Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:08:00 +0000

** Becca hasn't blogged since January. I keep reminding her about it every day, and she keeps saying she'll one day reenter the blog world. I'll make sure it is soon. I hope you have not forgotten about her existence.

Four Signs of Stroke

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:25:00 +0000

Someone passed this along to our Ward mailing list, and I thought I'd post it here, since I hate forwarded emails and no one reads them anyway, except companies who then send spam to people who were addressed in these emails. I do have a close family member who suffered stroke few years ago, and I wish I'd knew this before. That person was unable to do these very things after what seemed like a normal fall on the ice surface.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps!
Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)

(i.e. It is sunny out today.)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARM S.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

Unfriendly Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Not the most sunny weekend even here in Northern California, but we still managed to get out and walk around the beach near Capitola Wharf for a while.

After throwing rocks at the ocean, the ocean backfired at Maks and Maks had to walk away wet up to his knees.

Knock Knock

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Catching up on my weekly portraits of Maks.

#75.. Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:45:00 +0000

It's been a while since I last reported on one of the completed goals, but I have several I need to check off, so I will in the next little while.

Nothing too special about this one but I did finally buy an everyday camera bag for myself that can carry both my heavy camera, and my laptop/work junk with me at the same time.

I been using it for few weeks, and I been rather pleased with it. Along with the camera, it fits three lenses, all my filters, a flash, and has a large opening at the top for cords, food and whatever else. Laptop fits too, along with a notepad.

I wish I could say I got a lot of images that I would not have gotten otherwise, but sadly, it's not true. In three months of carrying the bag with me I only took one image I am pleased with of the cycling race that took place near my office, which I am posting below. But either way, it's nice to know that if I need to pull my camera out, I'm always ready to take that one shot of my lifetime.

New Location of My Photo Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:44:00 +0000

For those who been following my photo blog, I have a new one where I will publish from now on.

To visit the new blog, please click here.

Sunday Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Maks is becoming more and more like us and he loves taking long naps on a Sunday.

Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Here is Maks' friend Jackson, who was born just a couple of months after Maks, so they're about the same age, and we think they consider themselves friends.

This is portrait #6 in my 52 portraits of Maks project.

Strange Encounter of an Urban Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Maks' second winter on Earth is turning out to be California's wettest in quite a while, and we had to explore the consequences.

It's been raining a lot here in Northern California in the past few weeks, which we don't complain about too much about because we're sick of droughts and high cost of water. There is no forecast of rain stopping any time soon, but I thought for my weekly portrait of Maks I would capture his first encounter with puddle of this size, before puddle disappears.

Luckily, Mom was nearby and just moments later stopped Maks from walking towards the center of this little lake that formed itself overnight. I'm also grateful no cars drove by as I was snapping away with the camera.

Happy Birthday, Becca!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:17:00 +0000

Dear Becca!

Happy birthday to you! Thank you for being a lover, a friend and a mother. Maks and I are the luckiest people in the world to have you around and we hope you have a a day to remember today.

As a present, here is a video I made that captures some of the good memories we share together, to your favorite song.

Happy Birthday, Becca! from Ivan Makarov on Vimeo.

Please join me in wishing Becca a happy birthday by leaving a comment to this post.

Reunited

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:16:00 +0000

I think we all got what we wanted for Valentine's Day, especially Maks.

He used to have this Spiderman's ball that he could chase all day long around our house, but then unexpected happened - we lost it somewhere. Weeks gone by until finally Maks and I were in sports good store, and he saw it on sale.. There was no use to try it to take it away (not even to scan the bar when purchasing it), he would take it with him to the car, to the highchair for lunch, to the bath, to bed - everywhere. So on this Valentine's Day Maks was reunited with his first love.

I got a fine art print and chocolates while Becca got some clothes and more sweets. We then watched "Taken" in a movie theater without Maks (loved it) and ate a great shrimp dinner with homemade deserts Becca cooked, to conclude a fun Valentine's Day.

Raising 14 Kids - Should the State Help?

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:29:00 +0000

During my lunch break a few minutes ago I watched the discussion on CNN with people calling in to answer the question - should the state of California help that poor woman who just gave a birth to octuplets, since she has no job and 14 kids to raise? Personally, I think the woman is crazy for having all those children of her own free will and choice (we can barely remain sane with just one), but the kids had no choice.

I find it very hypocritical that so many people who called in to that show said that the state has no business helping her, that we as taxpayers should not be paying for her irresponsibility, that the state of California is already broke and that the woman should be shot and kids be adopted (yes, one caller was this direct). Sure, the woman is weird, but what about the poor kids?

This is the country that can spend billions of dollars trying to change a political regime in Iraq, the country that's about to spend a trillion of dollars trying to rescue the ailing economy (mostly through pork projects) and idiotic bankers who got us into all this (without putting a single dollar into our pockets), and yet it can't pay poor woman's medical bill and make sure all those children are taking care of? I hope America and the state of California is not that pathetic and hypocritical.

Where do you stand on the issue?

His Precious

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:22:00 +0000

With his friends, Maks is never bored while taking a bath.

We give him a bath every night (in fact, I don't think he's missed one since he was born). At times it is a torture when it's late at night or when Sharks game is on and I'm in a rush. But most of the time it is a fun event, especially when he is joined by his friends, the duckies. In fact, he's so attached to them that it's a challenge to get him out of the bath without them.

How often do you give your toddlers a bath and how do they get through it?

Baaaa!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:11:00 +0000

If I were to select a favorite toy of Maks for the month of January, this would be it. He calls it 'baah' (we suspect it's his way of saying 'ball'). He throws it around, he carries it with him to the bath, he even holds it near when he eats. My hope is that this obsession will lead to a professional career in soccer, basketball, golf or hockey (he also likes to kick it with various sticks).

From a perspective of a photographer, this was a very difficult shot to take, since it was a fraction of a second before he would grab this thing and run off and even with great AF system on my camera, I still had to take about 20 frames before I got the shot I originally envisioned. I'll also note that I did use a flash off camera standing to the left of the camera in a shoot through umbrella, fired at 1/8 power but aimed slightly away from the surface so I would not eliminate Maks and keep him in a shadow but would eliminate the ball with the edge of light.

There She Is, Miss America

noreply@blogger.com (Becca) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Well, she did it! Katie Stam, Miss Indiana, was crowned Miss America 2009 on Saturday evening. I recorded it and made Ivan watch it with me later that evening. Now, I normally don't watch these pageants, because they bring back too many memories. However, this Miss America pageant was a bit special. Why you ask? Well, because Miss Utah, Kayla Barclay, also vied for the crown. And Ms. Kayla Barclay happens to be from my hometown area -- Sanpete County. Now, Kayla didn't make it to the top 15, but I am still pretty proud that she represented my county and the state of Utah.

For those who have ever competed in pageantry know how difficult and challenging it can be. Sure, some girls have natural stage presence and talent exuding out their ears with their big permagrins, but for others, getting up on stage wearing a formal gown while perfectly walking/modeling, performing some extremely cheesy dance routine, and impressing the judges during the interview can be quite challenging. The girl that has the total and complete package becomes the winner - THE Miss America. I remember trying out for a local scholarship contest for Miss Lamb Day. Although, my pageant experience was nothing compared to the county, state, or national scene, it was still very nerve-racking. And I shake my head when I think how I competed in it twice, not just once, but TWICE. Ugghhh, what was I thinking... I cringe when I think about my interview and when I was trying to dance and sing at the same time. Ha ha ha. I guess "it was a good experience," right? I mean thats why I did it. And for the college scholarship.

Has anyone enjoyed a similar 'wonderful' experience by competeing in a beauty/scholarship pageant??! Please feel free to share!

Yes He Can!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:39:00 +0000

As someone who loves taking pictures, I long waited for a day when our son Maks will begin posing for me when I'm behind the camera. That day finally came. About a week ago I realized he knows what I'm doing when I have camera in my hands, and he would sit still for few moments posing for a picture. I would of course have to show him how the shot turned out on the LCD afterward.

This image begins a series of 52 portraits of Maks I am planning to take, one portrait a week, as I participate in 52 Weeks of Someone You Love project during the next year. It'll be interesting to track his growth through images.

#39...Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Over the break we had a chance to attend the Christmas concert down in Fountain Green, Utah, which helped me meet another 101 goal in 1001 days. The kids singing were from Fountain Green Elementary School, and Becca's nephew Jake, second from the left in the bottom row, and Becca's cousin's daughter Bailee, also second from the left in the top row, did a fine job singing their part.

Becca's mom Yvonne conducted.

I typically fall asleep at these kinds of functions but the kids put on a good show and I stayed awake all the way through.

Star in the Making?

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:25:00 +0000

One day he may become a soccer star and I'll be able to sell this photo for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It's another proud moment for soccer dad when he first catches his son kicking the ball with his feet.

Holidays Review Below

noreply@blogger.com (Becca) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:58:00 +0000

I made this post last week, but needed Ivan's pictures, so it is out of order.

Click on the link for our Holiday Review.

My Favorite Calling in Life

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:32:00 +0000

A rare self-portrait. I haven't posted one of these in a long time. Actually, it's not even a self-portrait as my wife took this picture.

I'm involved in a lot of things. I have a career, I am active in my Church, I swim with a team, I play soccer on a team, I do photography and I follow hockey. All of these things are fun. However, my most favorite (after being a husband) is the one of being a father to this crazy little boy. It's a lot more fun than I ever thought I was signing up for.

Holiday Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Becca) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:02:00 +0000

Okay, so I've been slacking a bit on my blogging. I am not sure why. Perhaps, I am a bit tired or sick with the stomach flu last week (all better now) or perhaps, I am treating this blogging thing like some email I've been putting off for some time now. For whatever reason, please forgive me, because now I am finally giving a recap of our Holidays. It was lots of fun but a little long.

Maks was able to meet with Santa before the big days, thanks to Ivan's work. As you can see, Maks wasn't very impressed or happy about the whole ordeal. (maybe he didn't like peppermint flavor candy canes like his mother)

We borrowed a snowsuit so Maks could play in the snow with his favorite cousins, Gabe and Jake. It was fun hanging out with these boys and their sister, Karson. We went to their elementary school Christmas program, played Rockband, and went to the movies during the week.

Christmas morning, my cousins, aunts and uncles and family gather together for breakfast and gift exchanging. Yep, that is a true cowboy (and a Veteran) below!

There are so many cousins that we gather at the FG City Hall (old elementary school) for our breakfast and gift giving.

Maks was great during the road trip. He only fussed once and slept during his usual nap times. However, we stopped in Vegas along the way to break up the long road trip. My old roommate, Heather, was so kind and let us stay with her. It was good to see her and her little family. Here Maks is playing with his best bud, Jesse. Maks is about ten months younger, so it was good to practice our sharing...

Here is a picture of us old roomies. But the boys weren't cooperating very well.

Other highlights but without pictures included our little cousin's reenactment of the Nativity Scene; yummy clam chowder dinner on Christmas Eve; visiting my bestfriend, Amanda and her new little baby girl, Kashlyn; reminiscing my high school days with my drill team friends at our little reunion; watching my sister win Ivan numerous times at my cousin's poker party; and my cousin, Tyrel's missionary farewell.

That is pretty much the breakdown of our Holidays. We came back through Vegas and stayed over at my wonderful friend's home again. She was such a sport letting us stop on the way to and from Utah. Thanks Heather & Ray!

New Year's Eve is Ivan's biggest holiday, so we invited the Andersons and Ashcrafts over for food and fun. All three kids enjoyed the company and we still managed to get them to bed at a decent hour. We welcomed the new year New York style and went to bed before midnight. Lame, I know!

We had such a wonderful Christmas and New Year vacation filled with family, friends, food and laughter. I am definitely grateful for these holidays that remind me of my many blessings. (And I know Ivan is grateful I posted before Valentine's Day!)

His First Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:22:00 +0000

I don't know when and if ever Becca will post her recap of our Christmas holidays that she promised to do, but here is a quick post from me with our memories of Maks' first snow. He simply didn't know how to react. Poor boy. We might just hang around California a bit longer.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:53:00 +0000

Before we head into 2009, here is 2008 in review for our family, as we remember it. No doubt it's been a fun year. I recommend you turn on the sound for music.

2008 in Review from Ivan Makarov on Vimeo.