9/25/04

We are so sorry to miss the Rinaldi's wedding!!! Our thoughts are with you!! We are so happy for you!!!!
Greetings!
It was a quiet day on the home front. Jeff took a walk to the GROCE store for more formula, diapers, wipes and jars of green beans. As this might sound, yes, he is submerged in fatherhood. He walked back several blocks holding the package of Pampers as it was too big to bag. Although he did not complain, I got a private chuckle when I saw him come in the door.

Since we had been to dinner last night we wanted the kids to have some quiet time and be able to get back on schedule, so I stayed in with them today. This morning we relaxed and had some really good play time. McCale and Karleigh are both becoming more vocal by the day. One will screech and the other will howl then they switch it up, it goes on like this for ten minutes at a shot. McCale seems to want the toy Karleigh is playing with and we had a few rumbles that were broken up with the distraction of something that made more noise than the toy that was sought after. They really do love each other, when they are close together they reach up to feel each others face and perhaps stick a finger in a nostril. I call this a tight knit sibling activity, as my brother still tries to do this to me.

The afternoon was quiet and Jeff and I are both reading books to pass the down time, we also borrowed two DVD’s from Marlee last night and have been enjoying them tremendously. We had a special night tonight – with three hours of sleeping babies and a big bowl of popcorn. It was very nice, we joked that if we pulled the monitor REAL close, it would be like watching the tv at home. Fireworks from outside would have added to the surround sound, however it was not a war or battle movie. Perhaps next Saturday night we can coordinate our film selection better.

This week there is a big buildup for the upcoming elections on the 29th. (hence the fireworks mentioned above) I have been meaning to take a couple pictures of the signs hung about town. There are many banners which are hand made – white sheet w/ blue kaz flag colored paint (kaz flag is sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun w/ 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center). These signs are made and hung by political supporters, the election this week would be equated to a vote for the US for congress. BIG difference in the marketing budget. Elections are very popular here – there are holiday style lights on houses to celebrate and promote candidates as well as 11x17 posters plastered on buildings and poles. We have found it is estimated that approx. 60%of Kazakhstanies will vote in this election. This makes sense when you consider how many rural areas there are and people who lack transportation to get to voting facilities, etc. There is a large drive for young voters in the Republics formerly part of the Soviet Union. The other night on the TV we were watching two high school teams debate whether voting is a right/privilege or should be mandatory. It was mind-boggling to hear that there still are thoughts of forcing people to vote – in what is now a free country – overall the team that was for making voting a RIGHT and CHOICE won. (For those of you who don’t know, the government type in kaz is now a Republic and the legal system is based on the civil law system. There is a president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, a Head of Government, Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov and a cabinet. The terms for each office are 7 years. The 39 seats of senate serve six year terms. )

On a news station we saw a brief clip on how voting is conducted. There are private booths, similar to those in the US but they have bar code readers and the voter scans the choices – which then light up. Once all of the choices are made and confirmed, the voter hits the equivalent of a “send” button and the vote is submitted and instantly tallied. Marlee, Amy or Susan, perhaps you could suggest this in Florida??

We have had a number of people knock on our door – some carry clip boards. Emil has told us it is probably people helping campaign and encouraging the population to vote. Although we don’t answer the door, we do admire their drive.

I’m sorry to add a rant about government on what we try to keep a lighthearted web post, I think it’s important to understand the culture and politics as they are presently. Looking back this can be an important milestone in understanding their homelands beginnings for the kids when they are old enough to care about voting. If my dad has his way, this will be in about two years.

I’m really starting to miss everyone lots, but still would not trade a day to come home early. Tonight as I pulled the popcorn out of the MIKE and the bag spilled some on the floor, I had a pang of homesickness knowing that Molly and Jack both are usually at my feet waiting for my klutziness to provide them with an early evening snack. I bent down, picked up the popcorn and put it in Jeff’s bowl…Nahh, didn’t do that, I tossed it and promised myself that when I’m home, I will accidentally spill a little extra to make it up to them.

Well, its getting late, so I will get this out there for you. Tonight I will try to add pictures as Jeff is asleep already. If I don’t get them out there, he will add them later in the day.

Lots of love to you all..
Colene

Special Notes…
To the crew in Whiting, thanks all for your help with the Nestle formula question
Flair’s – what’s going on??????
Amanda and Olivia – thinking of you!!
Rotmans – Emil says hi, please tell Serik
Taylors and Holtons – how it is going? Everyone caught up on sleep?
Monks – as always, thank you
Sam and Steph, special duck pictures coming tomorrow : ^