Language is a funny thing.  It is amazing, although much is lost in translation, just how much you can communicate with others when traveling abroad.  And, when you bring the foreign speakers into your home, then you communicate in your own special way.  Unfortunately, the boys’ Russian wasn’t very strong.  Going through a picture book, Nafe knew what  a knife and what a piano did, but didn’t have a word for them.

In case you ever hear us speak in our house, you enjoy a list of vocabulary words and phrases to help you understand what might be happening.  If you know any Russian, it will be even more fun.  The Russian words are used in the wrong places, and usually mispronounced.  The funny thing is, a lot of these are from the  native English speakers in our house.  Many were concerned that we would have trouble teaching the boys how to speak English, but they weren’t quite as concerned when I told them I had experience: I taught my other two children to speak English.

Babuska – n. A grandma
Bolna – n. Pain, sometimes used as a ploy to be put down. Sometimes involving a wafka or even clove. Use: “Ow! Bolna!!!”
Blookys – n. Blue jeans
Bowla – n. A bird
Boyla – n. A male child.
Bwana – n.  Pain, see bolna.
Chock – n. Something that is used to write on a chockboard and tastes nothing like chockit.
Chockit – n. A sweet desert & type of confietta. Use: “I be good boyla and get chockit?”
Choot choot – adj. A little bit.  Use: “I get choot choot confietta?”
Cleaning – n., as exclamation.  1.  Rain.  2. Windshield wipers. 3. v. The movement of windshield wipers.  Use: “Hahahahahahaha!!!! Cleaning in the rain!  Mommy bus cleaning! HAHAHAHA!!” 
Clove – n. Blood
Cloving – v. The act of losing clove. Use: “I fall down and now I now I now I cloving!”
Confietta – n.  Candy Use: “I have confietta for after my nap?”
Cranegowayuphigh – A large machine used to lift objects. Use: “Lick at it there!  I see a cranegowayuphigh!”
Daduska – n. A grandpa
Deeala – n. A deer, plural is deealas.
Digga – n. A large yellow machine used to pick up dirt.
Dommik – n. A house.
Dorn – n. A door.
Eedeesuda – v. A command to come.  Still used by Papa.
Eesa Peesa – phrase “May I please?” Use: “Essa peesa pizza please?”
Eeeegghlll – v.  To throw up, vomit.   Use: “Noga confietta make me eeeegghlll.”
Egrushky – n. 1. A toy. 2. A playground. Use: “I get spiderman egrushky for Christmas?” 
Excavator – 1. n. A large yellow machine used to move dirt. Slightly different than a digga.
Fank yaw – A statement of appreciation.  Sometimes pronounced “fank yee.”
Ghoul morling – A greeting, first thing in the morning.
Ghoula – n. A female child. Use: “I boyla, Nafe boyla, Sammy boyla, sissy ghoula.”
Go dog go – 1. n.  A green light. 2. v. A command to drive, used only at a green light.
Groupa – n. A group of little people in a Russian orphanage without a mom and dad. Use: In anger. “I nee love you. I go back to my groupa!”  Used by the little one, though only an empty threat that falls apart when faced with the option of walking back to Russia.
I cleaning – Moving arms, straws, sticks, spoons or other straight objects in front of face, mimicking a windshield wiper.  Action is used when playing, when angry (cleaning away the person who is annoying us), when hit in the face with rain, or for no apparent reason whatsoever.
I lika dat – A phrase describing the deep love for a food or object.
I nee love – A phrase placed before a random object, spoken when angry.  Use: “It’s time for zoobky!” “I nee love book!”
I map – exlamation.  Angry. Use: “Why did you hit Ben?” “I map Ben.”
Jumpoline – n. A place to jump.
Kooleg – n. A flavored beverage, made from a little flavor packet.
Koopatsah – 1.n. A bath. 2. v. To bathe.
Lick– v. A command to observe. Use: “Lick! I see moon!”
Krewchick – n. A device for opening a locked dorn.
Machina – n.  A car, but neither refers to a mommy bus nor a machine.
Maya– n., exclamation. An item currently in our hands.  Use of term has no bearing on actual owner of item.
Miska – n. A mouse
Mishka – n. A mouse
Mommy bus – n. A minivan.
Moochick – n. Movie
Movieator – n.  A place to watch movies on the big screen.
Musica – n. Music
Nafe – Proper noun. Nathan
Ne – Do not. Use: “I nee love nap.”  “I nee go to skoo.”
Neet Neet – Proper noun.  Erin… our sister.
Noga – adj. A lot Use: “Noga confietta make me eeeegghlll.”
Old MacDonald’s – n. A restaurant where they serve cheeseburgers and egrushkys.
Pawook – n. (See payook).
Payook – n. 1. A bug. 2. A spider. 3. Spiderman
Peetsa pootsa – conj. Because. Use: “Why do you want confietta?”  “Peetsa pootsa I good boyla.”
Poo de leez – 1. v. A command to share. 2. An phrase spoken in surprise when someone shares.
Sausage – n. An item used to hold a cup.  Use: “I want the blue sausage for my cup.”
See a ater – A farewell greeting
Semilote – n., usually as exclamation 1. Airplane 2. Helicopter Use: “Oh! Lick the sky. I see it a semilote!”
Skashzala – v. 1. To speak. 2. A command of mama. Use: “Mama skaghzala I have snack.”
Skoo – n.  The place where sissy and brother go during the day.
“Stop Eat!” – A request to refrain from your current activity.
Syka – n. A bunny
Spicy hair – n. Hair that has gel to stick up.
Spiderman – 1. adj. A type of object that Ben wants. 2. n. An insect, payook. Ex: Spiderman motorcycle, spiderman birthday, spiderman phone, spiderman watch, spiderman truck
Squirrela – n. A squirrel
Stola – n. A place to buy spiderman things, or food.  Use: “You go to stola and buy me a spiderman hat?” “No, I’m going to the store to buy groceries.”
Stavat – v. 1. To get down from  chair at the table. 2. To remove seat belt at the end of the trip.
Tunat – n. A food from a can, made from a type of fish.
That human – n. A person we don’t know; a stranger.  Plural: Those humans. Use: “That human in the red car is probably going to Taco Bell.”   
Vodichki  – n.  A cup of water
Wafka – n.  A small wound.
Wetter – n. An appliance used to wash clothes.
Worlaking – v. What papa does to make money to buy spiderman items.  Use: “Papa, you worlaking today?”
“Worm?” – A request asking if it is acceptable weather to wear shorts outside.
“You little!” – phrase A phrase intended to be a put down.  Used by the smallest member of the family.  (Smaller even than the dog.) Sometimes directed at random objects.
“You skratchame?”  – A request for a back scratch.
Zoobky – 1. n. A toothbrush. 2. v. To brush teeth. Use: “I koopasah, read book, zoobky, and bed.”