Happy Republic Day!!!

Hi all...today is the 15th bithday of the Republic of Kazakhstan!!! They celebrate much like we do - bands in the town square, speeches touting the greatness of the country (I imagine), rides and games for the kids, a day off from work, and shots of vodka!! Sounds a lot like the 4th of July to me...all we need are some fireworks at the Middlesex Country fairgrounds and we're all set...

Today before we went to see Drew we went to our translator Tanya's apartment for lunch. Tanya is about 22-23 and lives with her mother, her husband Consantine who is a "military man," and their 17-month old son Daniel in a 2-bedroom apartment that Tanya grew up in. We brought flowers for our guests and it's customary to give an odd number of flowers, as an even number of flowers is for a funeral - so that would have been offensive. We took off our shoes as soon as we walked in. They had a table set up in the living room that was loaded with food - so much food!! There was chicken, pork, spaghetti (I had told them that was one of the few foods I could eat!), french fries, rice, vegetables, and stuffed dumplings that are a native dish of Kazakhstan.

Also on the table was a bottle of vodka and shot glasses. I didn't do shots, but Patrick was a gracious guest and toasted to health, happiness and new friends with our hosts. They said we had to do three shot for luck and we all took turns making toasts. Tanya's friend Julia was there too - she told us she wants to meet an American man and she loves Arnold Schwartennegar (I know I didn't spell that right!) - we told her to come over and we'd find someone for her!!

Tanya's mom could put a Jewish mom or grandmom to shame - she was upset I wasn't eating enough and started actually putting food on my plate for me!!!

So, even with a language barrier it was a wonderful meal. We then watched a video from Tanya and Constantine's wedding - they have some very interesting customs. For example - the groom comes to pick up the bride for the wedding and before he is let in the room to get her he must bring wine, sweets and money and present them to the bride and her family as asked. They then went to the Russian Orthodox church for the ceremony and had a reception for 200 people!

Then we went to see Drew...who continues to be the cutest baby on this side of the international dateline. He liked being cuddled by his mom and dad today and we loved cuddling him. When he came into the room today, he immediately looked for his toys - it's neat to see that he knows his things.

Everyone cross your fingers for us - it looks like we'll go to commission (a pre-court hearing) on Monday and should find out our court date Tuesday...we're hoping and praying that it will be two weeks from now, rather than a month or so away...we'll keep you posted...

No big plans for tomorrow - just visiting our baby. I do need to give a huge shout out to Steven and Elizabeth for the DVDs...I don't know what we'd do without them - we're halfway through the first season of Sopranos!

And...

Ron and Katie - Huge thanks to you both for looking after things....

Christine - Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to hear more about James and see pictures. He must be a good luck charm as the Sox are kicking butt...

Kelly - I hope Quinn is enjoying the blog - you are too funny!!!!

Aunt Lois - They eat a lot of meat here, but horse is pretty big, and so is pork. I just stick with chicken - it's safer...they do some fish, but not shellfish, so I'm not sure what it is - sardines maybe?? It's a scary country food wise!!

Jodi - Good luck with the move!!!

Auntie - Drew says he can't wait to see his ornament and see what this whole tree trimming thing is all about...there is actually a chance he could be there with us this year!!!