Hello, Internet

We're back online!

It's a pity it took our coworkers going away so we could steal their internet gadgetry, but you had to know we'd get back on eventually. I don't think this thing is fast enough to get any videos uploaded, so we'll just do pictures. Here's a sampling of what you've missed in the past month or so while we've been off:

OK, so it's kind of weird that by the time we get pictures of our apartment up here, we're looking for another one, but that's just how it goes sometimes, I guess. We love our current apartment, which we found as kind of a temporary solution to rent while we looked for one to buy. I wish it was for sale, but it's not, so we're still on the hunt for a more permanent solution. Just check out the huge living room!

Also on the agenda in the past month or so was another trip out to the river for shashlik. I think on this one we were celebrating someone's birthday, maybe. Anyway, here are the Davids fixing us up some very delicious shashlik.

And of course, while we were there the kids enjoyed a trip down to the riverbank. Our kids, of course, being a little younger, only did this under the strictest of supervision!

I think it's been really good for our boys to get together with our coworkers' kids and just have some social interaction, which they were short on in Moscow. Neither of the boys really talks at all, but after a few months here they're starting to jabber quite a bit. Here the kids are enjoying a day making cookies together.

And, just for a bit of K-town flavor, here's a picture of the Buddhist temple, with flowers in full bloom...

... and a few blocks away, the seemingly opposite end of the philosophical spectrum as these things go, the meat market.

A couple of weeks ago, David and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a local concert for various T singers, which was really interesting. I have a dream that maybe one day I'll learn to play the instrument the guy is holding in this picture.

Last week was Bobbie's (yes, we're using the whole first names on here now) and my 7th anniversary, which we celebrated by dropping the kids off and going out for lunch and a walk. While we were in the park enjoying the beautiful day, we decided to take a paddleboat out for a spin, and caught some sun while we chatted. It was glorious!

And, just for the grandparents, a few shots of our growing kids (I think I may have already put some of these on Facebook, but whatever).

Matthew looking cute, and then tough.

Last week we had to get passport photos again for another paperwork thing, and Bobbie liked the pictures of the kids so much she asked the guy to put them on our thumb drive. Here are the results:
And just so all the pictures aren't of Matthew, here's Steven too:

Thanks again for thinking of us. We're looking at a couple of apartments closely these days, so be lifting that up - we really want to end up in the neighborhood and place that he wants us! Thanks, and now that we have this kind of internet access, we'll try to get the weekly schedule going again.