Happy Independence Day!

This is "Dominick's store". It is behinid our apartment building and we can see it from our bedroom window. We jokingly call it the "Copa Cabana". He has his little shopping routine down now, goes to visit his little Russian bakery friend from whom he buys biscuts with chocolate bottoms and bread. He got a kick out her guessing he was Italian. Dominick has been far more himself on this trip, Mr. I-Don't-Know-A-Stranger even when he doesn't know the language.

Here is the way we get heat...the entire city is heated with steam from these steam pipes. I have to admit, I like this heat better than our forced air furnace at home. Our apartment is cozy all the time, but we have no control over the heat.

Matthew, Joshua and their new buddy from Canada, Yannik. Kenny was inside looking for gloves he lost.

The next time you think you have a really, really bad job, think of this poor woman. What could be worse than being a street vendor in what is essentially Siberia in the dead of winter?? She looks quite bundled up, doesn't she?

Freeze Dried Laundry

Enjoying the playground while we can...it warmed up a tiny bit today and has snowed a TON~!

The playground for our complex, this is far better than most as it is newer equipment since it was built a couple years ago. Have only seen one or two of this any of our trips to Kazakhstan.

One of my "weird" photos that Dominick always rolls his eyes at. These are the stairs leading to our apartment. Something about the lighting and purple trim was something I wanted to capture. Go ahead, roll your eyes too...

I am taking the day off from blogging other than these photos, as I need an emotional break. We have a lot to process right now and important decisions to face. Keep checking back though, I'll probably post tomorrow and might have the boys write somkething blogable as well.