One Long Weekend

Our week-long vacation has come and gone. It felt like one long weekend. That was okay, though. We got a lot of work done early in the week, and spent the rest of the week relaxing. We went up to the mountain and grilled shashlik (kabobs) with some teachers who also stayed in town. Joe had a small guys' night on Friday, and I got to go out to eat with the female teachers on Saturday. We've just enjoyed spending a little extra time with Sophia this week.

She's full of smiles lately, and we've gotten some really great giggles out of her. She likes peek-a-boo these days and having her belly tickled. She feels so proud of herself when Daddy holds her up on legs and tells her she's standing. We went to get her four-month shots on Thursday, and she was very brave, until she acually got the shots that is. Then she wailed like she never has before. There were moments of suspended breathing! We checked with the doctor and he assures us that her 18 pound weight is okay. I have been concerned about her ever-growing Buddha belly. We make 'em big, I guess!

We can't wait to post pictures of Sophia in her Halloween costume. We probably won't do anything for Halloween since they obviously don't celebrate here. It will still be fun to dress her up even if we don't go anywhere. Let's just hope Sophia still fits into her costume. You never know when she seems to grow overnight.

Yet another picture of the little girl who runs the show!


A few pictures of the mountains.

A Little Mountain Air

Joe and I are enjoying our first day of Fall Break. We get a whole week off. Of course, we have absolutely nothing to do, so we'll have to spend a little time just exploring Almaty. It's been hard finding the time to go out into the city. We have our nanny coming in for a couple of days, so one day, sadly, we'll go to school and get some planning done. The other day we are going to have a Joe and Emily day all to ourselves. We will actually go out to eat sans baby.

Today, we had to get a little exploring out of our system, so we drove up into the mountains looking for Big Almaty Lake. We didn't find it because all of a sudden the road ended. The road was really more of a four-wheel drive kind of road, (think huge potholes and rocky spots) but our car made it up and back down. Joe likes to treat our cars like SUVS, but I let him have his fun. At least we got out for a drive. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

A very generous coworker has donated a vibrating baby seat for us to use. Yeah for gadgets! 

At least headbands help her look a little more girly. 

What's For Dinner?

So, Joe is sitting here next to me, translating a menu from Santa Claus Pizza, the pizza joint just around the corner. (Named Santa Claus for the delivery aspect perhaps?) He has come across "This is Wonderful" pizza, "Farm on the Highway" pizza, "Love Like Flowers" pizza, "Predator" or "Bird of Prey" pizza, and "Puff (or Breath) Windmill" pizza. Now, we're not exactly sure his translations are correct. We are, afterall, just using our mini-dictionary, but hey, they are good for a laugh. He has just said to me, "Here's a good one - Welcome in the Car pizza." Interesting.... The last one, a little more tame, "Six Friends." Yep, this is the most interesting thing we have to blog about.

We always get smiles like these after we get home from work. 

Joe likes this one. 

I like her bib in this one. 

An Autumn Day at the Falcon Farm

We went on a school "social" trip to the falcon farm yesterday. It was a really nice day, cool, but comfortable. It ended up just being a few teachers and their kids. We drove just a short way up into the mountains to the small farm. It's basically a bunch of huge birds tethered to the ground. You can walk right up to them if you want. They had vultures, golden eagles, owls, and falcons, of course. Apparently, they train the birds and then sell them. We had a nice time walking around a bit, and the kids got to play and go on horse rides. Sophia, in her classic style, slept. Thank goodness for that, actually.

Fall is definitely here, but everyone assures us that it will be short. They say there are really only two seasons here, the cold winter followed almost immediately by the hot summer. I am just so excited to see the leaves changing color since it's been about five years since I've had a true fall.

Last night we went to a potluck at another teacher's apartment. It's funny because whenever we are out and it's loud and crowded, Sophia sleeps perfectly. People are always commenting on what a good baby she is. I try to tell them that it isn't the case at home, but I'm not sure they believe me. I think she had a good time being held a lot and being entertained by the children there.

I'm having a good morning since Sophia slept from 10 pm last night until 5 am! Something she probably will not repeat for a long time. She just wants to get my hopes up. Oh, and I weighed her yesterday. I think she's about 16 1/2 pounds. She is like a sack of potatoes, even more so when I put her in her sleepsack at night. I think she carries a couple of pounds in those cheeks alone.

Hopefully, the week ahead will be a good one. The school weeks have been slipping by quickly which is great. We have a week-long break at the end of October. It should be here in no time.

The leaves are starting to change color. 

Out to eat afterwards. 

The eagle was not too happy with the librarian's daughter. 

Checking out the eagles at the falcon farm.