Some pictures of Kazakhstan I found in the old yearbook files! They give a different view. Not that we've seen all these things yet!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Different View
Some pictures of Kazakhstan I found in the old yearbook files! They give a different view. Not that we've seen all these things yet!
Monday, May 28, 2007
A Heavy Load
Only three weeks to go. It's weird, but school seems to be lasting a long time. Not much has been going on. We had a nice weekend. There was a yard sale at school, so we picked up a couple of things. The best was a backpack that we can use for Sophia. We tried it out yesterday, okay, not we, Joe tried it out yesterday. We climbed up the mountain. Sophia had a sweet ride, hanging out on dad's back, pushing on his head, and sipping her milk. Lucky girl. Joe's legs are a bit sore from that extra 25 pounds on his back. Leia even joined us for the hike. It was really nice to be up in the mountains. Everything's so green from the rain and you get a different view of the city. Maybe next weekend, we'll explore even further and maybe pack a lunch.
We are ready for some different entertainment, so we're excited that now we can go hiking. Yesterday we made cupcakes for fun. We've been on a real Betty Crocker baking kick. Hopefully, the cupcakes will brighten the teachers day when they are stuck in meetings after school. We decided that leisure time just isn't the same when you have a baby. Even Joe says that PlayStation isn't the same. Gasp. Can you believe it's come to that?
So, we are ready to finish the year, pack up our apartment, and get on that long flight. Will we make it these last few weeks?
We are ready for some different entertainment, so we're excited that now we can go hiking. Yesterday we made cupcakes for fun. We've been on a real Betty Crocker baking kick. Hopefully, the cupcakes will brighten the teachers day when they are stuck in meetings after school. We decided that leisure time just isn't the same when you have a baby. Even Joe says that PlayStation isn't the same. Gasp. Can you believe it's come to that?
So, we are ready to finish the year, pack up our apartment, and get on that long flight. Will we make it these last few weeks?
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Slowest Internet in the World
Yes, I'm sure of it. We have the slowest internet in the world at our school. Since my options are limited, I think I will be a few minutes late to class while I jot down a few thoughts here. It's been a good couple of weeks. The days are going by quickly. The countdown is on. A good friend emailed me that she will be finished with school on the 30th. Oh, I wish that were true for us. Nope, June 16. Will we ever make it?
Joe and I have been told we will have a new apartment next year. Smaller maybe, but closer to school. That will cut down our 30-45 minute commute to about 6-10 minutes. More hours for ourselves every week. We did find out yesterday that almost every person but one has to change apartments next year since the rents have all increased so dramatically. Our friends' landlord actually raised the rent by 700 dollars a month! That's insane. There is a lot of talk these days about the growth and rapid increase in cost in Almaty. It's strange to see things changing so quickly. How can they keep up with it we wonder? How can the average person manage?
Last week, Joe prepared a little Mother's Day picnic for me. We drove up the mountain in a second attempt to find Big Almaty Lake. Unfortunately, it remained elusive. We are told that it's possible to get there, but we have yet to find the way. We did find a nice little spot next to the mountain stream. We spread out our picnic blanket and enjoyed the cheese croissants Joe had made. Sophia enjoyed investigating (and trying to eat) the dandelions. She liked the stream too.
She's so naughty. Her newest thing is to clap her hands and squeal when the nanny comes. She immediately turns and waves bye-bye to us, kind of like, okay, you two get out of here. Then, when the nanny leaves in the afternoon, she cries!! Breaks my heart. I guess it's a good thing and she's lucky to have one person who she can be with all day. She always has new tricks when we get home, like pretending to eat the food out of her picture book. It's pretty cute.
It's been raining like crazy here. Joe and I secretly don't mind. I didn't realize how much I missed the sound of raindrops on the roof. It makes us think of home maybe. Speaking of, it won't be long until we are there. We are getting excited.
Joe and I have been told we will have a new apartment next year. Smaller maybe, but closer to school. That will cut down our 30-45 minute commute to about 6-10 minutes. More hours for ourselves every week. We did find out yesterday that almost every person but one has to change apartments next year since the rents have all increased so dramatically. Our friends' landlord actually raised the rent by 700 dollars a month! That's insane. There is a lot of talk these days about the growth and rapid increase in cost in Almaty. It's strange to see things changing so quickly. How can they keep up with it we wonder? How can the average person manage?
Last week, Joe prepared a little Mother's Day picnic for me. We drove up the mountain in a second attempt to find Big Almaty Lake. Unfortunately, it remained elusive. We are told that it's possible to get there, but we have yet to find the way. We did find a nice little spot next to the mountain stream. We spread out our picnic blanket and enjoyed the cheese croissants Joe had made. Sophia enjoyed investigating (and trying to eat) the dandelions. She liked the stream too.
She's so naughty. Her newest thing is to clap her hands and squeal when the nanny comes. She immediately turns and waves bye-bye to us, kind of like, okay, you two get out of here. Then, when the nanny leaves in the afternoon, she cries!! Breaks my heart. I guess it's a good thing and she's lucky to have one person who she can be with all day. She always has new tricks when we get home, like pretending to eat the food out of her picture book. It's pretty cute.
It's been raining like crazy here. Joe and I secretly don't mind. I didn't realize how much I missed the sound of raindrops on the roof. It makes us think of home maybe. Speaking of, it won't be long until we are there. We are getting excited.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
When We're Not Looking
Things are rushing along, and it's been difficult to keep up with my blogs. I did finally take some photos of Sophia and her big girl teeth. She just popped out a fifth tooth today. She has decided that she wants the camera now when I go to take a picture of her. She yelled at me this weekend when I wouldn't give it her, so I gave up without getting much for pictures.
She's really been crawling everywhere, and she cruises around the furniture or holding onto our fingers. She's very hesitant to let go and walk with only one hand, though. Her newest achievements - pretending to eat from a bowl like Leia does, uttering Leia's name (not exactly a word yet), and playing peek-a-boo with a wash cloth. She also has the great trick of waiting until we turn away, speeding out to the kitchen, and promptly dumping Leia's water dish all over the floor. You can imagine her there, slapping the puddle of water, her sleeper sopping wet, a blissful grin on her face.
Joe and I are still trying to manage life with baby. It's easier now that she's more independent, but will we ever figure out how to do things with less stress? Even going to the grocery store on the weekends is an interesting event. How do we fit it in between naps? Last weekend, we had a Mexican food and game night with friends from work. Joe and I had a curfew of 7:30 since Sophia goes to sleep around then. Oh well, no games, but at least we got to have some Mexican food. Mmmm....
The year seems to be speeding along. The end is in sight. We've already started thinking about all the things we want to do this summer. You can't beat a teacher's summer vacation.
She's really been crawling everywhere, and she cruises around the furniture or holding onto our fingers. She's very hesitant to let go and walk with only one hand, though. Her newest achievements - pretending to eat from a bowl like Leia does, uttering Leia's name (not exactly a word yet), and playing peek-a-boo with a wash cloth. She also has the great trick of waiting until we turn away, speeding out to the kitchen, and promptly dumping Leia's water dish all over the floor. You can imagine her there, slapping the puddle of water, her sleeper sopping wet, a blissful grin on her face.
Joe and I are still trying to manage life with baby. It's easier now that she's more independent, but will we ever figure out how to do things with less stress? Even going to the grocery store on the weekends is an interesting event. How do we fit it in between naps? Last weekend, we had a Mexican food and game night with friends from work. Joe and I had a curfew of 7:30 since Sophia goes to sleep around then. Oh well, no games, but at least we got to have some Mexican food. Mmmm....
The year seems to be speeding along. The end is in sight. We've already started thinking about all the things we want to do this summer. You can't beat a teacher's summer vacation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
