First news of the day is that our prayers and thoughts are with Nastia, our interpretor, and her family. On Thursday her Uncle suddenly passed away. It was totally unexpected and a horrible tragedy for their family. He was Nastia's Mother's only sibling and they were very close. Today, Nastia spent time with her family and we went to the Baby House with Oxana, another WPA interpretor who filled in for Nastia. Nastia has been very kind to us and we consider her our friend.
We awoke again to clear skies, and very cold temperatures today. This is the window of the room in the Baby House where we spend most of our time. This picture doesn't really do justice to the beautiful ice shapes that have formed over the last few days. Usually, we can see clearly out of this window to the front parking area.
Since it is so dry here, you don't realize how cold it is. Today, we were informed that it was -10 F !
Katja and Artome continue to show us more and more of their personalities and have really begun to attach to us. When we arrived with Oxana, they both clung to us and hid behind us until poor Oxana decided to leave so they would start playing with us. While I felt terrible for Oxana, (she knows how this all goes) this is what is supposed to be happening! Just a week and a half ago we were the ones they were staring at with fear in their eyes.
As the pictures show, we really had a great day with the kids today! They love to run and play and hug and laugh. Sometimes it feels like they are the ones showing us how to get to know them. They are both loving children that are now starting to trust us and believe that we will come back each day. As if anything could keep us away! Jim and I feel like the luckiest people on the planet. These kids are a gift, and I am humbled every day when we spend our hours with them. These are the children that were meant to be ours and we are so grateful!
