about time they started playing settlers...

Emma won...and yes, David and I were playing too:)

Josiah enjoying the birds...

This week has been pretty normal so far- so good to have David back... We all study most of the day- language and culture study, homeschooling etc. with a few breaks to play out in the snow (or with the birds:) or go for a walk to the store. Tomorrow we will have another Thanksgiving party with our american co-workers and our English Club. I'll take lots of pics then. It should be pretty crowded in their apartment!!!

Back from Yakutia

He's back! I've been enjoying hearing about Yakutsk- it is really quite famous for its pipes! Because it is built on permafrost- all the things that normally go underground, water pipes etc. are above ground and seem to be everywhere. Because it is so cold (already down to -46C ish during the nights) the heat loss is about 70%..not so efficient and as you can see most of the pipes have bad water leaks too. but that is how it is. Even in Moscow- much of the pipes are above ground. Not really wrapped up or anything either to try to limit heat losss.

You can also see that the buildings are all built on stilts to prevent heating up the ground. Don't want to lose the foundation... yikes.

David really was busy with language interviews, discussions, sorting through the information etc. so there wasn't a lot of sightseeing- not that you'd want to wander around much in that cold! He will be going again in May to do another language check though so then we will be able to see a bit more of Yakutia.

He brought us back a few special treats that we can't get here like a few Ikea things, Bionicle Lego guys, Peanut Butter!, good soya sauce, good coffee beans, creams, craft kit for Emma... lots of fun....

so good having him home!

American Food

Tonight, we had English Club at Bobbie's house. She had a great idea- teaching the young ladies how to make some american food... we made hamburgers (which they do not have here..really!), french fries, sweet tea (american iced tea) and then for dessert we had chocolate milkshakes. I am very full even hours later :) The girls loved it- they even liked the ice tea which is really against their own culture (ice is not used here- it is believed to make you sick), I was sure with the flu going around they would really not want ice but they were really brave. We just hope they don't get a sore throat tonight now and think it is because of the ice! :)

Thanks Bobbie for the fun English Club idea. Next up for English Club- American Thanksgiving!

And David is almost home- 12 hours left!!!! Good thing cause I saw that the temp will be -48 C (with the windchill) in Yakutsk tomorrow. Yikes. But he'll be nice and warm here with me:) Yay!!!

Ok, it's cold here too but you get the point. We are getting pretty excited to see him...

Check out David and Christy's blog (linked to the right). I am SOOOO excited. Yay!!!!
and David (my david:) called from Novosibirsk...he's started his journey back to me:) First he needs to visit Ikea and then they'll head on the train to Abakan and then the drive to Kyzyl.
I'll miss missing him but it will be good to have him back:)

The kids and I have been missing Thunder Bay a lot lately...not sure why:) Guess cause it is home- at least one of our homes... So yesterday when I was wandering about I found some really good potato perogies. It is hard to find good ones here but you can easily find strawberry or mushroom kinds- usually the dough is really thick though which I don't like. But these pototo ones were almost as good as the ones Grandma Inga would have in Thunder Bay. mmmm.
Haven't found any sauerkraut kind yet...might have to make some- I did make them once. that is why I haven't again...too finicky for my likes:) Anyway... 3 sleeps till David comes home!!!

Just some pictures from today. It was a beautiful cold and snowy day. Bobbie had my kids over for crafts so I wandered on the snowy streets for a few hours. I love just walking around Kyzyl... strange. it was very cold- my hair was completely frosted white by the time i got home.

We only have 4 more sleeps till David gets home!!!

Yesterday was a little warmer- maybe only -24C :) so we enjoyed playing outside for a little while. We try to walk to the store to get something everyday just to make sure we get out and have a little bit of exercise. One good thing about winter is the frozen groceries don't melt on the way home...

We talked to David again last night, he is still feeling good and enjoying the frozen north. Just over a week left till he comes home.

English Club was fun last night- we played pictionary and tried to do as much chatting (in English) with the girls who came as we could. It is fun having Bobbie (our co-worker) come too as she has lots of fun ideas...next week we are going to have English Club at her house to learn how to make American Burgers and French Fries and Sweet Tea. It is really good for the English students to even just sit and listen to the two of us talk to eachother..natural language. And they can notice our different accents too- Bobbie says, "What do y'all think?" while I say "What do you guys think?" etc. and I say tour like toor and she says it like tor. I really am glad for Bobbie, having her here for these kinds of things is such a blessing! Thanks Bobbie!!!

Thankfully I never did get the cold the kids and David had- moms are protected a bit I think- though I'm sure Emma would have held down the fort. The kids still have the sniffles and a little bit of coughing during the night but nothing too bad.

Thanks for checking in on us!

Missing Daddy

It is so good to be able to phone and email David while he is away. Last night, Emma was still awake when he called- she REALLY enjoyed talking to him..took her FOREVER to fall asleep after because she was so excited and sad at the same time. We are almost half way done!
He is fine- I'm looking forward to hearing about Yakutia. The apartment buildings are built on stilts there because of the permafrost..kinda interesting. It is very cold there (-37C with windchill) but then we had -27C yesterday so we have it almost as bad. The kids told me yesterday that they don't need to go outside again till next spring- they want to hibernate like bears... We at least get out for short walks to the store but ya, not so fun to play outside anymore! and it's only mid-november!

When Daddy's Away...

we eat a lot of ramen noodles :) It would be Kraft Dinner too if they had that here... I was just thinking about what the kids and me like to eat when David is gone- it isn't that he doesn't like the stuff...but it just isn't what he'd want. For instance, the kids and me would be perfectly happy with toast and cheese and apple slices and yogurt and tea for supper but I don't imagine David coming home from the office and liking the sight of that stuff on the table:) So we have been eating a lot of the things that we don't normally have- don't worry I still make a decent meal every once in a while:) not that apples and yogurt aren't healthy but ya- ramen noodles aren't exactly the height of nutrition- though look closely and you'll see the veggies in there too:)
David called from Yakutsk this morning- all is well- even his cold isn't bothering him which is really good news. They (Jesse is with him too) called from Novosibirsk yesterday as well- they were eating at the Ikea restaurant...now that I'd prefer to eat- forget the ramen noodles!
If they had an Ikea here it would by far be the best restaurant in town- funny eh. but we don't.

Josiah Elliot

I know there is always a shortage of pictures of Josiah (compared to the other two)... so I made sure to take his picture today after his new haircut. And he wanted to put it on the computer so that Daddy could maybe see it while he is away. We miss David... He is probably on the train heading to Novosibirsk right now- hopefully his cold/flu is better. It is cold enough here- I bet it is freezing up where he is going!

Language Consulting Trip

Today we were all up early to see David off. He is going to do some language consulting in a city you may have heard of if you play the game RISK. Yakutsk is the biggest city built on continuous permafrost and most opinions say that it is the coldest city in the world! I believe it. Last night when I checked it was -34 C !!! it's only the beginning of Nov. January is their coldest month- down to -50's and even -60's C !!! Yikes. Needless to say, he packed a lot of long johns and other warm clothes. We will miss him sooooo much. He will be gone quite a while:( He already has a really bad cold- hopefully it will go away soon- maybe he'll get enough rest while travelling. I included a map- it is a long way from Kyzyl isn't it! We live in Siberia here but Yakutsk is REALLY the siberia we think of! :) k. I'm going back to bed... I'm not an early morning person.

We didn't get to go to the yurt today. Kongar-ool phoned yesterday and explained that the yurt people (little boy and little girl) were actually in town so we will wait to go out on the weekend- hopefully:) Someday we will get out there for a visit!!!
Today was fun though. Everyday this week, Emma's friends have come over as they have a week off school. Today they did Emma's homeschooling with her- and a few extra things with a Russian Atlas and some Tuvan numbers etc. The girl in pink, Tanya, really was a great teacher and she said Emma was an all-star student- they did math, read English books, looked at russian ones, practiced handwriting and even had a little gym class. If only I could get these girls to come teach Emma everyday!! maybe during their lunch break:)The oldest girl, Vika, plays with them but also spends a lot of time with me, in the kitchen or helping me study- truly I really like being alone and don't look forward to having a shadow all day but we do have fun together- I teach her some things in the kitchen and she teaches me a whole lot of Tuvan. I had language session today with Snegilya too so it was a productive language study day...

Kenya- 3 months old

Visit with friends...

It has been a long time since we have been able to visit with Aldunai and Edik. Last time we saw them Aldunai was pregnant. Their newest son is 3 months old- they don't take their babies out until they are 3 months old so if we weren't the first out of home visit we were one of the first! Their other son Tumiin is 8 years old. It is normal to have your kids spaced like that- I can't imagine waiting till now (Emma is 8 too) to have another baby... yikes. They have to keep their baby things around the house in storage for a LONG time... We had a great time together, sharing yurt stories and catching up with eachother. I've noticed a lot lately how during picture taking the Tuvans usually keep a straight face unless you tell them to smile. I really notice it when Emma's friends are over laughing and giggling and then you pull out the camera and they look like they are sooo bored or even mad. I think we used to do that to LONG ago right? I remember pictures of my great grandparents etc. that were always so serious. All that to say that Aldunai did enjoy herself- I think:) Doesn't their newest son have cool hair!!?!