Happy 2007 and Happy Birthday to me!

We hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and New Years Day. We had fun with Karina's family on New Years Eve. They served a traditional Muslim/Kaz meal complete with sitting on the floor at a round table and using your hands to eat the food. Now we're not talking something like fried chicken which is pretty easy to eat with your hands - nope - we had what amounted to chicken and dumplings except that it was chicken, mutton and dumplings. Always fun to eat big sloppy noodles with your fingers - actually it was. They also had pickled tomatoes, pickles, cucumbers and tomatoes (not pickled - sliced). For dessert it was the staple of fruit and nuts along with home made poppyseed bread and chocolate. Serik took a brief nap and was introduced to the other Serik (see pic). They've said that when Serik asks about Kaz we're to tell him that he has family here - them. We got home around 7 and put him down Kurt followed to bed shortly and I stayed up - too much tea. Finally fell asleep around 11pm only to be awakened at midnight by a huge fireworks display. Not only was there a massive one that the city put on - front row seat from our apt. but people on the river walk were lighting off fireworks (pretty good ones too) and people were also lighting off fireworks from their apartment windows (probably not something to try at home). Kurt and Serik both woke up too - Kurt's comment was "It sounds like a war out there". It did too. The Pecks in China said, 'now you know what Chinese New Year sounds like". So true.

Little man proceeded to wake up several times that night and last night was up for an hour at 3:30am, again at 6:30 and finally up for good at 8am. Can't wait to get him in a crib so that he's got something familiar to sleep in. The Brabsons came over last night and it's so cute to watch the kids together. They are making me a birthday dinner tonight and then we only have one day left in Astana before we head to Almaty on the 4th. Cheers to all!

Gulia w/Zhana