January Snow Fun

We've had lots of fun in the snow this month. We've been snow shoeing and cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating and making igloos, snow angels and snow couches. Enjoy the winter wonderland pictures!

Russian Baptism Day

January 19th is Russian Baptism Day. Our Russian teacher, Elena, took us to see the happenings. The Russian Orthodox Bishop and Priests bless the water in a frozen lake to make the water holy and pure, then you are supposed to dunk yourself 3 times. This is to give you health and protect from sickness for the year. It was 4 degrees F and we were freezing in our full winter gear.... lots of people were waiting to fill a bottle with the blessed holy water to take home.

Tons of SNOW!

We were welcomed back to Yuzhno by tons of snow! Luckily, we missed the two blizzards that dumped it all and landed in clear weather. We've enjoyed the sunshine everday, but the temperatures are negative 12 F in the morning at the bus stop. Alyssa still loves to play in the snow and the new ice rink made on top of the tennis courts by the rec center.

and winter in Russia goes till April?!?!

Today a truck came and removed snow and ice from our roof and eaves.

Taylor enjoys blazing new trails and seems to be hunting burrowed animals.

Australia Vacation: Part 2

Our second week in Australia was on Hamilton Island. A wonderful small island in The Great Barrier Reef among the WhitSunday Islands. We relaxed and enjoyed our bungalow and the many resort pools and beaches and activities and also delicious food.

Alyssa loved snorkeling! She had a lesson in the swimming pool one morning and did awesome on our day trip snorkeling tour. She loved spotting the lovely colored corals and fish. We visited WhiteHaven Beach during this trip. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sand was white and so very fine it felt like walking on flour. We loved the view from the top of a hiking trail. Alyssa also painted this scene at an art gallery one day. Another awesome moment for Alyssa was holding a koala bear. (at the other wildlife place in Sydney, we were only able to stand close and pet the koala.) Elvis was snuggly, but had very long claws for climbing! We had "breakfast with the koalas" twice during our stay. Our fishing charter trip was actually a wonderful sightseeing trip among the many beautiful small islands in the WhitSundays, since we did not reel in any fish. Alyssa enjoyed the water and talking our captain's ear off (she stayed up in the tower with him most of the time). We experienced an Aussia style beach barbeque complete with learning some local games and songs. We played glow bowling and mini golf and swam lots in the pools and beach. Alyssa and another boy even opened a coconut with lots of effort and determination. There were even fireworks on the beach for New Years' Eve. Our week on Hamilton Island was amazing!