Baboola!

Diana is the Russian visa clerk who works in the Moscow Mission office. She is also a member of the Zelonograd Ward so I see her most Sundays with her 5 year old son, Slava. He is a cute little guy. Very active and curious and non-stop energy. He has the sweetest smile. Over the months, I have greeted Slava at church and shook his hand and greeted him with a "preevee et, Slava." Things have stepped up a notch. He ran up to me last week and said "baboola!" and then ran off. Today the same thing happened several times. This time I wrapped him in a quick hug before he took off.
I asked Ksenia what baboola means. She said it means grandmother or old lady. WELL I am a grandma and I like being called grandma, but the old lady???  Not so much. Babushka also means a grandmother or old lady. We have several wonderful babushkas in our ward. I am NOT a babushka, but I will happily be a baboola. And there IS a difference between the two, in my own mind at least.
I don't get a chance to wrap my own grandchildren; Abby, Kyler, Kevin and Sophia in a hug right now, so for the time being I will enjoy receiving hugs, smiles from Slava, who also blew me a kiss as we left the church for home.