Sibling Bonding

Sibling bonding and a little rivalry too! Here Blaine is showing Valerie how funny Tom & Jerry is. This was great until she began pushing all the buttons on the DVD player. I told Blaine he'd better get used to that! Thanks, Donna, for loaning us your DVD player. It's been such a help and we've all enjoyed it.



We are all finally healthy today! We went to a great playground this morning and really wore Valerie out. She took a 3 hour nap this afternoon. It rained and hailed here this afternoon so since we couldn't get outside we went upstairs for some playtime with Catherine and her kiddos, who are also doing remarkably well! The three of them were adorable. I am going to have to start remembering to take my camera with me when we leave the apartment.

This is our kitchen here at the apartment. It's nice and clean but just small. It is a little challenging to cook because it is not a fully stocked kitchen. I miss my cheese grater, sharp knives, measuring cups, etc. But we're getting by just fine. Tonight we had hamburger patties, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I think Valerie would eat anything we put in front of her. Blaine's the same way so I'm one lucky Mama!
This is my clothes dryer! Actually, it's a sideways picture of our balcony where I hung the clothes I washed in our bathtub today. After this, doing laundry at home will seem fun! We were talking to Blaine tonight about how we should be so thankful for what we have. Here, we are missing the conveniences of home but are still so much better off than most of the people in the world.
This is the view from our balcony. We like to sit out there and watch the boats go by on the river. A cool breeze blows in most days so we leave the balcony door open until the mosquitos start invading in the evening.

Today was a great day and it really went by quickly. We've been in Khabarovsk 8 days now. We have a little less than 2 weeks more here, then a few days in Moscow, then HOME! This long stay isn't really what we wanted to do but it is giving us some awesome family time that we would never get at home with work and other responsibilities constantly pulling at us. By the end of this trip, I'm sure we'll have had more than enough togetherness, but I'm treasuring every minute right now!