You'll notice that Sam has moved from Pink to Blue now that Mom's in charge.

Sam, Tommy (14 mo) and Natalie (9 mo) enjoying an afternoon snack.

We are in Almaty at the right time.  The autumn weather has been beautiful, making it ideal for a few outings.  Yesterday was our busiest day yet (with Sam).  First we visited this beautiful Russian Orthodox cathedral which is in the center of the Park of the 28 Martyrs, named for 28 Kazakh soldiers who fought against hundreds of German soldiers during WWII.   Unlike our churches, there are no pews in these cathedrals.  Rather, there are several different "stations" with beautiful paintings or relics, with many candles burning in front of each one.  There are so many candles burning, that a thin layer of smoke hangs in the air like so many prayers.    Lots of flowers, trees, balloon vendors and pigeons for children to watch.  A man with an accordian provided the opportunity for Sam and I to have our first dance.

Statue memorializing the 28 martyrs for which the park is named.

Next was lunchtime, and our driver Marat drove us to the edge of the city, at the foothills of the Tien-Shien mountains to try Shashlyk!  We told him that we were starving for meat and wanted to have something with a little local flavor (but not horse, which is the national meat of Kaz). At that point however, both of us were so blasted hungry for meat, a little horse might have done the trick.   Shashlyk is basically a shish-kabob, minus the vegetables, much to Darrick's delight.   The cafe is set half inside/half outside in mock yurts.  Yurts are small dome shaped buildings that served as homes for early Kazakhs, but are also still used today.  It was a charming place and Sam let his parents enjoy their first meal out since his arrival.

While in Uralsk, we lived right next door to our travel partners, Jim and Denise.  We shared our trials and tribulations with each other every day, often several times a day, and it seems a bit strange now that we're in Almaty, not to see them on such a regular basis.  So today we arranged for a visit and a "play date" for our kids.  They adopted two beautiful children, Tommy and Natalie.  All four of them are doing great!  It was fun to get together.  I think Sam was particularly happy to be around other babies, as he went from being surrounded by them, to cold turkey.

Tomorrow is our last day here!  All we have left is the appointment with the embassy and we're finished.  It feels like we've been in Kazakhstan for a long time and we're ready to go home.  The suitcases are out again and poor Sam probably thinks he's been adopted by gypsies or fugitives, as we're on the move so much.  One more day to go...