The Rest Of The Story...

7:50 PM -- Mike here.

Our morning excursion was, well, difficult (read Linda's last post). But more on that later. We just got back from our afternoon excursion, which was a quite long stroller trip to the lake from our apartment. Sveta told us at one point that it was straight down the main road we're on (I think it's called Gorky). Sure enough, it was there, although quite a "stroll". There ended up being several groups of kids swimming in the lake when we got there. Even a little beach -- actually quite pretty. On the way, we passed some sort of rockpile of a monument, which we let the kids climb on on the way back. There were lots of big apartment buildings -- the old Soviet-looking kind similar tot he one we're in now. There was one very interesting compound that looks like a school of some sort. Very new construction made to resemble a castle, with a gate all the way around. We called the place the Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry, and I told Tucker that we'd found the long way to get there (most people have to run headlong into the wall between the Shashlyk man and the egg ladies at the green market). Also, there was one building/house that either had some sort of official purpose, or it was the house of somebody very important. It was right on the lake, and had a big (like 10-feet-tall) fence made of steel, and security guards outside.

We stopped by the market on the way home (actually well out of the way of home) to get dinner, and just finished. Now, I'm struggling with pretty bad allergy symptoms -- the worst so far on the trip. Didn't take my Claritin this morning, though I often don't need it. Oh, well.

Oh, and the water is out again, so no bath for the kids tonight.

This morning, by the way, I actually did get up early (even after staying up very late to post movies). OK, so it was Bacha's crying that woke me up. It happens a lot. I guess she had a bad dream or something, or maybe she just wakes up disoriented. Anyway, I got up early enough to take a really long walk, all by myself. And I do mean alone -- the whole town is deserted at 6 AM. I even went to where the green market is, and I really had to convince myself I was in the right place, it looked so different. Spooky. I ended up all the way on the other side of town, past the Zhekebatyr Hotel that we stayed at two years ago. I was actually hoping for some good video footage of somebody walking their cow along city streets, which is one thing I remember from our last trip. No luck. Anyway, I came back to the house in a really great mood. The rest of the family was still sleeping, and I still had time to stretch and then prepare breakfast.

OK, OK, so now regarding this morning's excursion... I believe Linda said I was "almost miserable" or something. Well, OK, I deserved that. In fact, she was being kind. By the time we actually left for our morning walk (90 minutes after we said "OK, time to go"), some of my morning mood had worn off and I was indeed quite testy. Then, BOTH kids were being uncooperative and I did, as Linda said, start to "lose it."

However... <ahem> I just want to say that there is another side to the "bubble bottle" story (and my "ill-timed" lesson). Not worth dwelling on it here, of course. In the end, we went to the park, and both kids had fun climbing and blowing bubbles. For the record, Tucker ultimately did learn a lesson about sharing when his bottle ran out of soap solution and Mia's was still going strong. "She's not sharing!" he said. Awwwww...

Also, Linda mentioned that she has her moments. Don't we all. It is, for instance, not I that has been walking a fine line between composure and insanity over Bacha's disgusting snot-eating habit. Also, I wasn't the one who, at the end of this morning's excursion (the very same), made a pleading, sniveling Bacha find her own way out of an ankle-deep mud puddle after she insisted on walking into it. <insert evil snicker here>

OK, OK, enough already. I should say that over the years it has been part of Linda's job to keep me from taking life too seriously, as is my tendency. Usually she does this by getting me to laugh at myself, and today was no exception.

Breathe. Eight more days 'till we leave for Almaty. That's about 16 more little excursions. :-) Of course, then my day actually gets tougher in a lot of ways because Linda might be working full time, leaving me to play Mr. Mom for the two beasties until school starts.

Pitiful crying coming from the bathroom now, as Bacha is beside herself over the lack of water. Both she and Tucker love bathtime, but Bacha lives for it. Ha ha hahhahah. Laughter now, as Linda fills the tub with COLD water (not sure why there's cold water when there's not water at all). Apparently it was not OK to just have a sponge bath. It's freezing cold, and Bacha is screaming with delight every time Tucker dumps a little thimbleful of cold water on her back...

...some time later, there are tears again as Bacha is pulled, literally kicking and screaming, from the tub. She cheers up when she gets a chance to say hello to Omi and Opi (grandma and grandpa on my side), who happen to be on the telephone. Preevyet! Kak dyela? Kak dyela? She says over and over again... (Hi! How are you?)

9:43 PM... The kids are finally going to sleep. Late night. They're wired, and we're fried. It's still very much light outside, by the way.